Fate
by knee-knee
Summary: Lilly and Miley go their separate ways, but is it really the last time they'll see each other? Liley! Femslash.
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Ok, so this idea won't leave me alone and I can't concentrate on my two unfinished stories so I figured I'd best get it out of the way. I think it's going to be pretty damn long but hopefully it won't take ages to write.

Read and review please =]

Disclaimer: Not mine; I'm just doing this for fun.

Fate

The Tennessee sun was beating down on the small blonde teenager as she stood staring at an old ranch house. Shielding her eyes from the sun she looked around before slowly climbing the rotten wooden stairs, being careful to tread lightly. The porch offered her some shade which she welcomed gladly. It was scorching. Her tee shirt was sticking to her and her forehead was damp with sweat. She wonders why it's getting to her; Malibu girls live for the sun but here in Tennessee temperatures are stifling. _I guess that's global warming…_ She examines the front of the house with a smile, it's in need of some serious TLC but it has character. She lets her fingers trail over the chipped front door before turning around and sitting cautiously on the top step. Aside from the humidity Tennessee was perfect, and even the heat was rare. She loved everything about the state; its big cities, winding rivers and especially Beech Creek. It was the next town over from Miley's hometown Crowley Corners. Since they had spent the past two weeks at her family ranch they had decided to visit Beech Creek and check out the bigger town before heading back to Malibu for school. They were seniors this year.

"Lilly!"

The blonde looked up at the sound of her name and found Miley heading over to her.

"Hey Miles, you found me."

"Yeah, what are ya doing?" She sat next to Lilly on the top step, flicking her brown curls over her shoulder as she turned to check out the old house.

"Just checking the place out. It's such a nice house." Lilly smiled as Miley gave her a quizzical look.

"You feelin' ok Lils? You don't have sunstroke do ya?"

"Um no, I'm fine. Why'd you say that?"

"This house is a wreck! Lil's the thing looks about as sturdy as a chicken coop in a twister!" The girl grinned as she looked down the street.

"But it has character! Ok so it need's a bit of a make-over but that can be done!" Lilly tried to explain to her, following Miley's gaze. "It's the kind of place I've always wanted to live…" At this Miley snaps her head around to stare at her.

"Really… why?" Lilly relaxes as she realises her friend is truly curious and no longer questioning her sanity.

"I don't know; I just love this whole town. Everything's so simple and everyone's so friendly. Not to mention the scenery! The place is amazing. It feels like home." She says that last part quietly, feeling embarrassed and not knowing why.

"Hey…" Miley lays a hand on her arm and gives her a smile. "I understand it, I've often toyed with the idea of moving back to Tennessee when I'm older but I don't think I'd move to Crowley ya'know? That would be kind of weird, I'd like some freedom!" The pair chuckle, knowing how lovely yet interfering Miley's family can be at times. "There's no way I'd live in a house like this though! Much too small, THAT however, is what I call a house!"

Lilly's eyes look at where she is pointing. Further down the road there is a turn-off which Lilly had originally thought was another road but on closer inspection it turns out to be a driveway. They slowly walk up it and find them at a wrought iron fence behind which sits the biggest house Lilly has ever seen. Its huge white body sits amongst immaculate green lawns and hedges. There is even a glittering fountain.

"Wow…"

"Yeah! It's gorgeous isn't it? Give me a five years and it'll be mine." Miley grins at Lilly as they walk back into town.

"I'd still rather live in the old house. I'd fix it up and sit on the porch reading and drinking iced tea." The blonde is still thinking about it when Miley grabs her hand and pulls her towards a truck.

"Come on daydreamer! Jackson's here."

The girls met him as he jumped out of the driver's door quickly being followed by Miley's father and uncle. They began hauling a guitar, cooler and picnic basket out of the back before starting to walk down to the river. A picnic by the river sounded like a perfect end to their trip to Lilly and she couldn't help but grin as they reached their destination. It had only taken a short walk past the local grocery store and out of town. The view was stunning. The sun hung low in the sky as it filtered through the trees near the riverbank. They set the picnic up in the shade and enjoyed the cool breeze as they ate. It was not long before Miley's father, Robbie Ray, picked up the guitar and started singing some old country songs. Soon all the Stewart's were singing along and Lilly couldn't help but feel a little sad. Miley's family were incredibly close, especially after the death of her mother. Her family were not. She loved her mother and father but as they were divorced she very rarely got to see her dad and her mother wasn't always around. She knew her mother had to work but it made her feel so alone sometimes. Her eyes stung as she stared off towards the waters edge.

"You ok Lils?"

Startled she flinched away from the hand on her shoulder before realising it belonged to her best friend. She relaxed and slowly brought her eyes up to Miley's.

"Yeah, sorry…"

Miley nodded but clearly saw the sadness in Lilly's eyes so she stood, offering her hand to the other girl. Who took it without hesitation, ready to follow. The three men were too busy singing about a broken-down truck to realise the girls had walked off.

The girls hadn't let go of each others hands as the slowly walked up the river and found a lone oak tree on the slope. It was huge and clearly hundreds of years old yet it stood tall and offered them a place to sit between its gnarled roots. They sat with their backs against the trunk and Miley pulled Lilly's hand into her lap, rubbing soothing circles on the back of it. Lilly closed her eyes and sighed; it felt good.

"So come on, spill. What's eating at ya?"

"I don't know, I just…" She stared at the grass, knowing she couldn't lie to Miley. "It was just that before when you were all singing, it- it made me a little jealous." She trailed off and turned to look at her friend.

"Jealous? I don't understand."

"It's just your family is wonderful, you're all so close and well, mine aren't." Miley's eyes soften as Lilly's start to prickle all over again. "I feel so alone sometimes, my dad never bothers to come and see me anymore and my mother's always out. I know I should be grateful I have them and I love them both. It's just sometimes I feel like they don't love me."

"Oh Lil, they do love you!" She pulls the girl close as tears start to spill from her eyes and feels her clutch at her shirt. "How could they not love you ey? You're Lilly Truscott! Funny, smart, damn good on a skateboard and a bit of a dork…"

Lilly chuckles as she sits up and smiles at Miley.

"Yeah but I'm your dork."

"Hell yeah skater girl! Come here." She wipes the tears from Lilly's cheeks before pulling her into her shoulder and staring at the sunset.

"If I ever have a family, I want them to be like yours." Lilly feels Miley rest her head on top of hers. "Living in a big old house in a small town and knowing everyone. Watching as the kids play from the front porch and knowing that everything you need is right there with you." She fades out and in her head she can see it so clearly. _She's sitting on the porch with a glass of iced tea as the sun starts to set, there are two small children running around in the front garden. Two little girls; one with a halo of golden waves, the other with a mess of dark brown curls. The dark haired girl runs up to her carrying a little wooden guitar, her big blue eyes shining. There is a soft hand on her shoulder and she looks up at her other half, squinting against the sun to see their face._

"_Lilly..."_

"Lilly! LILLY!"

She jerks out of her day dream to find Miley shaking her by the shoulder and looking at her with one eyebrow raised.

"Wh-what? What's up?" She stands up and stretches, trying to shake the dream from her head.

"Come on, we gotta head back. My dad will be wonderin' where we got to." She grabs Lilly's hand and they start to walk back to the others as the sun begins to sink behind the trees.

A/N: Ok so that's chapter one… Like it? Hate it? Let me know! =]


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Did I mention time would jump around a bit? This chapter is a year after the first and the rest of the story will be set 6 years after this chapter! Not confusing you am I? =/

Well it will all makes sense as the story progresses!

R&R please, thank you!

Disclaimer: I own nothing but we all know it should be Liley…

Fate

A shower of graduation caps rained down on the two girls who had each other in a in a bone-crushing hug. The roaring cheer that had spilt the afternoon quiet died down as the seniors moved around congratulating each other and kissing their proud parents. The girls slowly broke their hug and turned as a shaggy haired boy called their names.

"Miley! Lilly! We did it!" He quickly snapped a picture of the two girls and they posed for more, catching hold of a passer-by to get a few of the three of them.

"Yeah Ollie we sure did!" Miley gave him a quick kiss on the cheek, making him blush. The other girl just giggled. "Listen guys I gotta go get things ready for tonight so I'll see ya later ok? Be there around 6!" She quickly pulled them both into a hug before winking at Lilly and running into the crowd. They soon lost sight of her amongst the sea of blue gowns.

"How does it feel to be free skater?" Ollie slung his arm around the girl's shoulder as the slowly made their way over to their parents.

"Damn good! I just can't believe it's actually here. I mean- I leave in two days!" Lilly shook her head in disbelief and stopped as they reached Oliver's parents. She watched as the boy was pulled into a tight embrace by his mother and smothered with kisses, she smiled.

"Oh Lilly! Congratulations to you too sweetie." Oliver's mother gave her a hug and peck on the cheek before Lilly said her goodbyes and turned to find her own parents. It took her about ten minutes of searching to realise that they weren't there. Feeling a sick pain in her chest she started to walk home. She knew they were rarely around but surely they could have made it to her graduation? It was her graduation for godssake! Her eyes prickled and she didn't see a woman run over to her and pull her into a hug.

"Oh there you are honey! Sorry I was late, something came up at work and your father couldn't make it..." Lilly's mother pulled back and looked at her daughter, not seeing the unshed tears. "Well, congratulations! I'm so proud of you! Let's go celebrate."

"Thanks, actually mom I need to get ready for the party tonight. Y'know, the one at Miley's…" She had five hours until then but she couldn't stand to be around her mother right now. She had hardly seen the woman for the past year, she was always out, and spending hours alone with her would just be incredibly awkward. She wanted to spend today celebrating with people who actually mattered.

"Oh, ok why don't we head home and you can have a nice long bath? Then I can paint your nails and do your hair if you like. We can pop open a bottle of champagne too ey? Come on Lilly…" She smiled at her daughter as they climbed into the car.

Lilly suddenly felt horrible, her mother was making an effort to make today special and she didn't even care. She was trying. She smiled at her mother as they started the drive home.

"Yeah, I'd like that." Feeling as though she should make up for being so cold earlier she added, "You can help me decide what to wear." Her mother beamed at her.

The five hours before the party had been agony for Lilly. She had played along with her mother just to make her happy. She took her time in the bathroom, wasting time until her fingers started to go wrinkly. When she went into her room she found that her mother had set out a bottle of champagne with two glasses. She quickly dried off and pulled her dressing gown on just as her mother came in brandishing a bottle opener.

"Aha! Right, let's get the bubbly open then shall we?" Not waiting for an answer she popped the cork out and shrieked as it fizzed and spilled over her pink shirt. "Oops!"

Lilly took the glass she was handed and smiled when her mother toasted her. She sipped the bitter alcohol as her mother painted her nails, answering her questions automatically while her mind drifted.

She found herself extremely anxious about leaving home and moving away to university in Washington. She hadn't intended to go that far at first but she had been offered a scholarship which was just too good to pass up. Sadly, Oliver was going to UCLA and Miley was going to concentrate solely on Hannah. Miley had been getting drawn deeper into the showbiz lifestyle and had decided that it was not something she wanted to give up anytime soon. This would be the first time in years that they would all be apart and it terrified Lilly. She didn't know how she would cope without her friends. At the same time, she couldn't wait to be free of her parents. She loved them but had grown tired of the disappointment. Her father couldn't even be bothered to show up today, he had just sent her a card that just said 'To Lilly, congratulations! Love dad x'. She wondered whether he had even picked it out or whether he'd had his tart do it for him. Her blood boiled but she managed to keep calm as her mother finished painting her nails and left her to get dressed. She left the champagne bottle and, though she didn't like it, Lilly took a great swig from the bottle.

Lilly arrived at Miley's at 6pm on the dot. Her hair had been left in natural waves with her streaks of purple and blue. She had bought a dress especially for the occasion, it was a deep blue with thin straps and she had accessorised with some purple jewellery. She smoothed her dress self-consciously as she walked in and was greeted by a squeeling Miley.

"Eeep Lilly!"

"Hey that's my eep!" She chuckled at her friend and looked around the room. They had really gone all out; a large banner hung on the wall 'Congratulations seniors!' and the rest of the room was covered in balloons and streamers. The sofa had been moved so there was room to dance and Jackson was standing by a huge speaker system, trying to look cool.

"Hey Lilly." Miley's dad, Robbie crossed the room at the sight of them. "Get in these arms kiddo!" Lilly obliged happily, hugging him tightly. She had always liked Mr S more than her own parents.

By eight o'clock the house was packed. It seemed like the entire year had turned up to celebrate and Lilly found herself being hugged by people she had hardly spoken to in her life. As she was let go by a guy in a Ramone's tee shirt the speakers suddenly blared and Miley's voice filled the room.

"Hey people! Thanks for coming tonight, it's been fun so far. But the night is young!" A loud cheer rose up and Lilly could her Miley chuckling over the speakers. She pushed her way through the crowd until she was in front of the DJ decks. Miley spotted her and gave her a grin. "Okay so I just wanted to dedicate this song to Lilly Truscott because well, she's my best friend and I'm going to miss her when she leaves on Monday. I love ya Lils!"

Miley pressed a button and the music started. Once again Miley's voiced blasted over the speakers only this time it wasn't really Miley, it was Hannah. True Friend. Lilly couldn't help but grin as Miley pulled her into a hug, her hair tickling her nose.

"Thank you Miles, I love this song!" The pair found themselves unintentionally swaying to the music. "Almost as much as I love you." Miley giggles against Lilly's neck before pulling away and taking her hands.

"You goof, come on. Let's dance!"

Its 1am by the time everyone has gone home, everyone apart from Lilly and Oliver of course. The three of them are sitting outside on the deck staring at the stars. They're sitting close together, Lilly in the middle holding onto the other two tightly.

"So… who was that girl you were stalking Ollie?" Lilly smiles at the boy as her glares at her.

"I was not stalking her! The Ollie Trolley was just doing his thang, and she totally dug it!" The girls giggle hysterically as he attempts to act suave.

"It's ok Ollie we were only teasing, she did look interested actually." Miley pulled a shocked face at the last part causing Lilly to giggle harder.

"Thanks- HEY!" He caught the look on her face and sat back in his seat sulking.

"Awwr come on triple O y'know we love you really." Lilly nudged him a few times before he smiled and flung an arm around her shoulder. Miley picked up the camera from the coffee table and fiddle with it for a second or two.

"Woah! We took 248 photos tonight! Guess we'll have a few good 'uns then." She squished closer to Lilly and held the camera in front as they moved closer. "Say cheese!"

"CHEESE!" Echoed the other two as the camera flashed in the darkness.

"Ooh that's a good one!" Oliver took the camera and took one of the girls. They sat on the bench with their arms around each other smiling like lunatics. He snapped a few more as the girls turned to each other and giggled. Lilly rested her forehead against Miley's and sighed.

"What am I going to do without you?"

"I don't know Lils, I was thinking the same thing."

Oliver sat back down and pulled the girls closer to him. Lilly snuggled into his shoulder and Miley rested her head on Lilly's. It was going to be hard when they went their separate ways and each of them knew it. Lilly felt tears prick her eyes as she stared at the stars above and one slid down her face, landing on Oliver's shoulder.

"Promise me one thing…" Lilly said softly holding her friends hands tightly.

"What Lilly?"

"Anything Lils"

"Promise me this isn't goodbye."


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: At last an update! Sorry it took so long I just couldn't seem to focus. Ooh reminder; this is set 6 years after the last chapter. ANYWAY read and review my lovelies!

Disclaimer: Hannah Montana is not mine; all I own is a poster…

Fate

The click of the lock echoed through the dark house as the blonde girl stepped inside. It was raining heavily now and she was wearing only a sweater which was soaked through. She flicked on the hall light and kicked off her trainers before pulling her sweater over her head. She struggled for a moment before it came loose and flung it onto the radiator. Stepping up to the mirror she swept her rain-darkened hair out of her eyes and inspected the damage. She looked drowned. Sighing, she pulled her jeans off, hopping on one foot and nearly slipping on the puddle that had formed at her feet. "No sense in dripping water all over the house" she muttered. Just as she was about to tug her white t-shirt off there was a thud from down the hallway. She jumped. Then laughed at herself; it was probably Mark. She walked down the hall, her wet feet slipping slightly on the wood floor.

"Mark?" She paused near at the end of the hall, not sure which room he might be in. Peering into the living room she could just make out the back of his head in the light from the TV. He was sat in the armchair. She called his name again but he didn't answer. "You asleep..?" She smiled as she walked into the room, listening for the sound of his snoring over the low chattering of the TV. Deciding that it would be a good idea to wake her boyfriend because she was in need for some warming up she stepped in front of the chair. She screamed.

Mark's eyes were dull and sightless; as though clouded by cataracts. His shirt was streaked with blood which had seeped from his chest. The knife was embedded so deeply that all that could be seen was the handle. She barely had time to recognise it as one of their own, from the chopping block in the kitchen, before a strong arm grabbed her from behind. The scream died in her throat as the steak knife flashed downwards.

"CUT! Ok people, take a break. We just have one scene to re-shoot and then we're finished!" Lilly smiled as the cast gave a small cheer before moving towards the canteen. She pulled her headset off and placed it onto the table before picking up her water bottle. She swigged thoughtfully as she replayed the end scene in her head. True, she had always thrown stereotypes out of the window with her own films but this wasn't hers. The writer wanted stereotypical and, as the director, she had delivered. If she'd had it her way, Blondie would have gone puma on Mr Killer's ass!

She winced slightly as she accidentally sparked a memory she'd rather forget. Her distress was short lived as a blonde girl in a fluffy bathrobe walked over.

"Hey Cassie, great job with that last scene." Lilly smiled warmly at the girl blushed.

"Thanks, I was really nervous about the water. I thought I really was going to fall on my ass!" She grinned as she tossed her damp hair out of her dark eyes. "Anyway, I'd best head over to costume. Can't believe they messed up Tim's shirt up in the Café scene!"

Lilly just smiled as the actress walked away. Yes, she couldn't believe costume had messed up either. Although it was quite funny to watch back. Halfway through the scene the guy's shirt magically turns from blue to red and back again. Talk about continuity…

She caps her water bottle and places it next to her headset before heading to the canteen. As she brushes past a few teckkies and a guy from the prop department she sees her PA wading towards her through the crowded room. Stopping to grab an apple she manages one mouthful before he reaches her.

"Yo LT, got a Ms Ince on the phone for you. Says it's important…" The last three words are barely out of the lanky guy's mouth before Lilly has the phone to her ear, swallowing hard.

"Hello, Lilly Truscott." She wanders out the fire exit in search of some quiet.

"Miss Truscott, its Ms Ince from Orchard publishing. I have some news for you."

"Oh..?" She runs a hand through the blonde hair, her hand is shaking.

"We'd like to offer you a contract."

"Really?!" Lilly can't keep the excitement out of her voice or the smile off her face.

"Yes really." The publishing big-wig chuckles over the phone; clearly amused at her excitement. "Of course there are things we will need to discuss but I must say; personally I haven't seen anything quite as promising as your work in a long while."

Lilly is stunned by such a compliment and blinks in bewilderment. "T-thank you."

"That's quite alright. Now would you be able to make it into the New York office on Wednesday? Let's say 1pm?"

Lilly's brain was still foggy but she hears herself speak. "Yes that's fine; I'm on set in Los Angeles at the moment but will be finished as of tomorrow. If you need to contact me use my personal number."

"07798267988?"

"Yes, that's it."

"Right then, thank you Miss Truscott. I look forward to seeing you."

Muttering her goodbye Lilly hung up the phone. She shook her head in disbelief as she lent against the rough brick wall. She had just been offered a publishing contract from one of the biggest new companies in America. She had finally done it. After four years of rejections and hard work she was one giant step closer to living her dream. A tap on the shoulder brought her out of her trance and made her jump, scratching herself on the rough wall.

"Oh sorry LT but we're all set to shoot."

She smiled and followed her PA inside, winding her way through the maze of people in black 'CREW' tee shirts and dodging two women wheeling a dukebox on set. Once it was in place next to the window the lights adjusted and the actors froze.

"ACTION!"


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Just so you know it's going to take a while before we get to the Liley. Sorry guys but I like things slow ;]

R&R please!

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Fate

Shiny. That was the only word to describe the Orchard Publishing office. Shiny reception desk, shiny tiled floor, shiny coffee table and shiny picture frames on the walls. She stood out painfully in her black pencil skirt and white edged blazer. _Should of worn sequins…_She tapped her fingers on the arm of her chair and caught the receptionist eye. She was shiny too. Shiny black bobbed hair; shiny red nails that tapped at the keyboard mercilessly and a shiny name badge that declared her to be Vivian. The phone chirped and she answered in a heartbeat. She stood and smiled at Lilly. Even her teeth were shiny.

"Miss Truscott, Ms Ince is ready for you now."

Lilly stood and self-consciously smoothed her skirt down. Her heels clicked and the noise reverberated around the room. She paused at the door, breathing deeply, one hand outstretched. Vivian smiled at her encouragingly and Lilly opened the door.

"Ah! Good afternoon Miss Truscott. Please take a seat!" Ms Ince smiled broadly as Lilly took her seat. It was much more comfortable than the one outside. She smiled nervously and clasped her hands on her lap.

"It's nice to finally meet you Ms Ince."

"Yes, it's always nice to put a name to the face isn't it? I often wonder what my clients look like before I meet them. It's a sort of game I suppose." She peered at Lilly from behind her huge (shiny!) desk. "I thought I was getting rather good at it. You can tell a lot about a person by the way they write. You, however, write with more depth and personality than someone of twice your years and experience."

"Well, I've been told I have an old soul a few times actually." The two exchanged a smile and Lilly felt herself warming to the older woman.

"It's refreshing, that's part of the reason I was so intrigued by your work. May I ask why the change in careers? From what I hear you're an excellent director."

Lilly blushed at the compliment. "Well while I was at university I found that although I had an aptitude for directing and making films I enjoyed writing them a lot more." Lilly paused and the other woman nodded her encouragement. "For my final piece I write a short film and although I also directed it was the story that had caught the attention of the examiners. They contacted the board at the NYC film festival and they screened it. After that I walked straight into a job here in New York and managed to write and direct two other films. I've been working as a director and struggling to break into the literary world ever since."

"And here you are…" Ms Ince beamed at her as she pushed a wad of paper across the desk. "Here is the contract. Basically it outlines that we have sole publishing rights to your work. Feel free to read it at your leisure but it's exactly the same as the one I e-mailed you on Monday after our phone call. Just one small change in on page 7." Lilly flicked to the page and found a post-it note halfway down. "All it means is that, if you decide to make your work into a series we get to offer you a contract first."

Lilly smiled and shuffled the pages together neatly. "Well that sounds fine with me. Where do I sign?"

It took a few minutes to sign and date the appropriate documents and for Ms Ince to write Lilly's cheque. They shook hands and the older woman smiled.

"It's been a pleasure to meet you; I wish you all the luck in the world." She handed Lilly the cheque and chuckled as the blondes eyes widened. "That's just the first instalment; you get another after the printing starts and then more once sales begin."

Lilly resembled a goldfish.

"Thank you, so SO much." She pumped the woman's hand a few more times before leaving the office and closing the door behind her. In a daze she wandered towards the front desk.

"I'm glad it went well Miss Truscott." Vivian grinned from behind her desk as Lilly laughed.

"Thank you. Have a nice day!" Lilly didn't hear the receptionist reply as she left the building. The fresh air hit her hard and a grin split her face. She couldn't help but jump around and punch the air like a lunatic. The receptionist watched her through the big glass doors and laughed. She liked the blonde girl, she had character. Outside, Lilly stopped leaping around and straightened her clothes before heading to the nearest bank to deposit her cheque. The ink was barely dry and she was surprised it hadn't worn off under the intensity of her gaze. Her first paycheque from writing, this was too good to be true.

"$800,000… thank you Orchard!" She grabbed her phone and scrolled down her contact list. Mel C… Mikey… Nat… Nikki! She pressed call and put it to her ear. It answered on the 4th ring.

"Hellooo."

"Hey guess who?"

"Erm… Santa Claus? Ooh no! That really hot guy from R&D?"

"No, much better that them… ME!"

"Haha yeah, I thought that guys voice was a bit deeper and sexier."

"Hey you saying my voice isn't sexy?" Lilly pouted down the phone despite the fact her friend couldn't see her.

"Stop pouting."

"I'm not!" Lilly laughed, the girl knew her too well.

"Pfft! Yeah, sure. Whatever. Why are you so happy?"

"I got the contract!" Lilly had to pull the phone away from her ear. She held it at arms length but she could still hear the tinny, excited shouts from the other end. She waited until it was relatively quieter before putting it back to her ear. "So, I'm thinking R&D to celebrate. I think it's cool and pricey enough for the occasion."

"Yeah, you know I love their $7 cocktail pitchers!"

"I know it, the bar staff know it and so do the ladies toilets."

"Shush I'm not THAT bad."

"Yes you are." A shop widow caught Lilly's eye and she stopped. "Rally the troops; I'll see you at 8.30."

She stowed her phone away and pushed into the little shop. It was cramped, the walls were decorated with art prints and music thudded from a retro hi-fi near the cash desk. The clothes rails were zig-zagged around the shop and Lilly made her way towards the women's section, smiling at the girl behind the desk. She was dressed in tight jeans and a top so shredded it looked like she'd had a fight with a cheese grater. And lost. As she smiled back at Lilly, the blonde realised that the shop was somewhere she would have lost herself in when she was a teenager. It had the perfect mix of skater chic and electro-punk she had loved. She smiled to herself as she pawed through the rail, quickly finding what she had spotted in the window. It was a strappy black dress; it came just to the knee and had a red net underskirt. She looked at the pattern closely. What she had originally thought were white polkadots are actually skulls. She chuckled and checked the label. It's her size. Why the hell shouldn't she? Turning on her heel she makes her way to the cash desk.

"Hi you alright?" The girl takes the dress and scans it.

"Hey pretty good thanks. You?" Lilly smiles at the girl who seems glad to have someone to talk to. Must be boring on your own in a shop all day…

"Well work is bloody boring but at least I'm getting paid!" She laughs and folds the dress carefully. Lilly chuckles as she places the girl's accent. British! "I love this dress, its ace! Kind of funky but smart." She trails off as she puts it in a bag.

"Yeah I love the little skulls; I thought they were polkadots at first." She hands the money over and waits for her receipt.

"Well here's your receipt and your change."

"Thanks, see you."

"No worries, tat tar!"

Lilly hums to herself as she walks away from the little shop. "Tat tar…" How funny. She always did like the Brits; the accent was the second sexiest in the world. In her humble opinion of course! She tries to forget the sexiest, but it's damn hard. Some voices are unforgettable.

She enters her apartment building and stabs the button for the elevator. Clearing her mind takes a few seconds, she's gotten better at it over the years. Nothing will put a downer on today, nothing at all.

Once she is inside her apartment she kicks off her heels and heads to the bedroom to get out of her smart clothes. She hangs her new dress up too and flicks her computer on before heading into the kitchen. She has time to waste and decides to take up some of it cooking dinner. Chicken and pasta? Chicken and rice? Chicken and err… chicken? She throws the pasta into a pan and brings it to the boil. It will take a while so she cranks the stereo up and pours herself a glass of wine. The Veronicas finish and the first few bars of Pink - 'like a pill' - start up. It's one of her mix CD's, Lilly never listens to the radio. The blonde drinks deeply and licks her lips. Fruity. She doesn't care if it's an old song; she belts the words out as she checks her food, finishing her glass in one.

She washes the dishes quickly while her food cools and then sits at the table. It tastes delicious and Lilly thanks her lucky stars for Delia Smith's Easy Peasy cookbook. _Good old Delia…_She wonders whether it would taste even better if she had company. Lilly looks around the apartment slowly. It's nice, spacious and neat. But it's not very homely, not lived in. Suddenly, she feels very alone at the too big dining table.

She throws her food away, not caring that she threw the plate and cutlery away with it and heads to her computer. She picks up the bottle of wine on her way.

She sinks into the chair in front of the screen and pulls the keyboard closer. Her fingers move on their own and she finds herself browsing houses for sale. But not in New York. She types Tennessee into the area tab and scrolls through the search results. She knows it's a little sudden but at the minute it's all she can think of. Seven results down she freezes, mouse hovering above the link. "3 bedroom ranch house; fully restored. In need of some TLC." Her heart thuds loudly in her chest as she clicks and watches as the page loads. Slowly the picture materializes and Lilly laughs incredulously. It's THE house. Sprawling on the front lawn it's just as she remembers; weathered, charismatic and utterly perfect. She doesn't need to check the address but does so anyway; 1408 Otter Lane, Beech Creek, TN. She sits back in shock, clutching her wine to her chest and gazes at the pixelated screen. She is tempted to shut the computer off but knows that would be ridiculous. Lilly has never been one to over think things, she always does what feels right. Some called it foolish but Lilly thought they were the fools. Everything happens for a reason and you've just got to have the guts to go for it. If she had played safe and not taken each opportunity as it arose she wouldn't be here now. She'd have ended up a teacher, bored out of her skull and drowning in English papers. "You've got to grab life by the balls…" she muttered to herself. Her dad had told her this when she was eleven and though she had disregarded everything else the man had ever told her, he was right that time. She finished her wine and set the glass down on the desk. Her third, one more and the bottle would be empty. She chuckled as she typed the number in her phone. It started to ring. She hoped she didn't sound drunk. She had little time to fret as her call was answered.

"Hello Rocky Top Real Estate, how can I help ya?" The Southern twang was strong and Lilly felt a comfortable pang in her chest. It made her smile.

"Hello, my name's Lilly Truscott and I'm interested in a property I've seen advertised on your website."

"Ah! Website ey? I told Errol it was a good idea…" This last bit was said more to himself than anything. "So! Which property are we talkin' about here Miss?"

"1408 Otter Lane, Beech Creek."

"1408? You sure?"

"The ranch house..?" Lilly frowned.

"Well yer, it needs some TLC…"

"Oh I know that! That's why I like it." She chuckled.

"OH! Well that's swell! The inside has been completely restored, it just needs decoratin' and the outside just needs sandin' and paintin'. When do ya wanna view it?" She could hear him shuffling paper.

"I don't want to view it." The shuffling stopped but before he could question her she continued. "I want to buy it. What's the highest offer on it?"

"Um well ya'll the first to make an offer Miss." He shuffled some more paper. "It's on the market for $46,000. It comes with land out the back ya see. Runs right down to the creek."

"That's fine, can I organise the payment over the phone?"

"Sure! Let me get the computer goin'…"

Eight o'clock found Lilly locking her front door. She was wearing her new dress, chunky jewellery and a pair of killer ruby red heels. _Move over Dorothy, Lilly Truscott has arrived! _She made her way downstairs and smiled cheekily at a handsome guy who held the lobby door open for her.

"Thanks." She winked at him and strutted down the street. She felt amazing. There is something to be said for a small fortune in the bank, a new dress and a bottle of red wine.

Arriving at the bar a little after 8.30 she found two dozen of her closest friends taking up the large booth in the corner and a good half the bar. She made her way over to them and they all cheered.

"Here she is! The next Anne Rice!" Nikki flung her arm around Lilly's shoulders.

"Nikki, Anne Rice writes about vampires."

"J.K Rowling then?"

Lilly just laughed and rolled her eyes. Her friends gathered around her offering their congratulations and joking with each other.

"Hey you'd best not write any books about me!" Joel laughed with the others.

"Joel honey, Lilly doesn't write about bent lawyers." A pretty red-head joked.

"Lisa, I'm not a lawyer!" The group laughed heartily and Lilly made her way towards the bar. She found herself standing next to Charlie, a tall dark and handsome guy she worked with. The barmaid came over smiling appreciatively at him.

"Hey can I have a Coors Light and…" He turned to Lilly. "Whatever Blondie's having."

"Oh thanks um, I'll have an Alligator Cooler please." She watched as the barmaid headed towards the spirits.

"So… you're leaving us then?"

"Yeah, I'm going to miss it but it's just not for me anymore y'know?" It wasn't a question but he answered anyway.

"Yeah I know. You're too much of a free spirit." He smiled at her. "I knew you'd leave eventually, I just thought it would be a while yet." The barmaid finished shaking Lilly's cocktail and poured it into a glass Charlie handed her some notes and she gave him his change. He turned to face Lilly. "Here's to you LT." They both took a mouthful and Lilly felt the sour apple schnapps bite her tongue. _God that's good_.

She found herself spending most of the night taking part in numerous naughty drinking games and dancing to industrial rock music which the bar was famous for. She had just finished grinding with Nikki to Porcelain and the Tramps to the delight of the guys when she decided to tell them. She stood on one of the platforms by the DJ and shouted over to him to lower the volume. He did as she asked, he knew Lilly well enough after four years of her haunting the place with her friends.

"Sorry guys this won't take long!" The other patrons just waved her apology off and turned back to their drinks. Lilly faced her friends. "Ok so you all know that I got the contract with Orchard…" A cheer rose up with some applause." Yeah thanks guys, and you all know that I will be leaving my job at ABC Film." There were a few boo's here, from Charlie and a few other colleagues. She chuckled. "Sorry guys, I'll miss you don't worry. But there's something else… I'm moving to Tennessee."

She was met with a shocked silence and she slowly stepped off the podium. Nikki made it to her first.

"Why Lilly?" She didn't look angry or upset, just curious.

"I just need to Nikki, I feel like its something I'm meant to do." The others seemed to slowly rumble to life, muttering to each other. Lilly pressed on quickly. "I went to Tennessee once, when I was sixteen and I saw this house. I felt at home y'know? I always thought I'd move there at some point, live the simple life. When I got home before I just saw how empty my apartment was and how lonely I felt. I went on the net just to check the houses up for sale and I saw THE house."

"The one from Tennessee?" Nikki leaned closer.

"Yeah! It was like, like-"

"Fate?"

"Yeah! Exactly like fate. I bought it and I'm moving next week." Lilly stared Nikki in the eye. The girl had never stopped Lilly from doing something when she knew it's what she wanted. She could see Lilly wanted this.

"Listen up you lot!" She raised her voice and addressed the group, her eyes never leaving Lilly's. "Looks like our little Lilly's flying the coop, I know we'll all miss her but we love her and we'll support her whatever right? Right?!"

She was met by a roar of cheers and for the second time that night Lilly was pulled into the waiting arms of her friends.

A/N: Congrats if you guessed Lilly would move into the old ranch house. [Even if it was damn predictable lol] Oh btw, Porcelain and the Tramps are awesome. Go listen!


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: I know Lilly's move might have been a little hasty but I tried to make it clear "grabbing life by the balls" is in her nature. I always felt Lilly was a wild child. Anyway I wanted to move the story along =]

Read & review please, it makes me happy!

Disclaimer: I don't own Hannah Montana; I'm just doing this because I have nothing better to do with my time =]

Fate

A lone cardboard box sat on the counter. It held a clock, three books and severely dusty cuddly frog; which Lilly had found under her bed. It was the only evidence that anyone had lived in that apartment for the last four years. Lilly's eyes scanned the bare walls and empty shelves for the last time before picking up her belongings and turning her back. Downstairs she met her landlord and with a quick farewell, handed her keys over. She pushed through the heavy doors and was greeted by the midday sun and Nikki who was trying to fit a small cactus into Lilly's car.

"Ouch! Jesus Lilly, do you have to take this thing with you?" She inspected her finger and pouted. "Look! I'm bleeding!"

Lilly took a step backwards as Nikki brandished her finger, getting dangerously close to sticking it up the blonde's nostril.

"Woah! Watch it; I don't want my nose picking thanks!" She put her box down and took the cactus from Nikki. "I have to take it with me because I've had the thing since I started uni and I haven't managed to kill it yet."

"But it's ugly! I still don't get why you bought it in the first place." Nikki eyed it warily as Lilly managed to fit it in without pricking her fingers. "Oh now that's just not fair!"

Lilly laughed and shut the trunk. "I told you, I had a thing about westerns."

"Ooh yeah me too. All those hunky cowboys…" She grinned and pulled her friend into a tight hug. "I'm going to miss you."

"I'll miss you too." Lilly sighed and pulled away. "I'll call you and you can come visit me when I get sorted."

"Yeah! Hey maybe I'll lasso myself a cowboy while I'm there." She wiggled her eyebrows and Lilly laughed.

Lilly picked up her box and made her way to the driver's door. She tucked it under her arm as she pulled the door open and slid into the seat. She put her box on the passenger seat as Nikki closed her door and lent down.

"Goodbye Lilly, please drive carefully."

"Don't I always?" She turned the ignition and put it into gear. "Bye…"

Lilly bit her lip to stop her tears as she pulled away, watching as her friend became smaller in the rear view mirror. She rounded a corner and lost sight of her.

Taking a deep breath she wiped a lone tear from her cheek and fiddled with her CD player. Modest Mouse filled the car and she cranked the volume up, a small smile gracing her lips as she realised it was her favourite song. She started to sing along at the top of her voice, not caring when she stopped at traffic lights and people stared. Green light. Lilly floored the gas and sped through the cities busy streets. Feeling a strange wave of nostalgia she remembers blasting out of Malibu to the very same song, in the very same car six years ago. She had been miserable that morning and had cried her eyes red but when she heard the song on the radio, she felt excitement bubbling up inside her. She was on her way to university, taking a four day road trip to get there. Her mother hadn't even batted an eyelid when she told her she was driving across the country. She just waved her off. Lilly was glad; those four days driving along the South Coast were just what she needed to get her head together. By the time she had driven to the end of her street she had a grin plastered on her face and had screamed "Goodbye Malibu!" as she left everything behind.

So much had changed since then. She was older, wiser but still quirky as ever. Even in New York she stuck out like a sore thumb in her cherry red station wagon. She tore past the cities beautiful people in their beautiful imported cars. Lilly doubted that they would last fifty six years on the road. Though she had passed her driving test a little before her seventeenth birthday she didn't get her own car until a month before university. She had slaved away in the local skate shop until she had managed to save up enough. She'd had no luck in finding a car until she spotted an advert in a shop window. She noted the address and went to investigate; it was only a short walk from her house. It had sat in the driveway looking filthy and dejected. Its front bumper was hanging off, its rear door was black unlike the rest of the car and most importantly; it didn't have an engine. It was love at first sight.

Her mother hadn't been happy when it appeared in her driveway; it made it look untidy. She had tried to persuade the seller to tow it back home with him but of course, it stayed. Lilly didn't know a thing about mechanics but luckily her work friend, Tim, knew an awful lot. His eyes had lit up when he'd seen the car and he had run his hands over the hood whilst filling her in. Lilly learnt that it was a 1959 Rambler station wagon, a good solid American car. Lilly named it Redgie. Tim had jumped to work, finding engine parts and sweating away under the hood. She had set to work cleaning it. At first she wasn't exactly sure what colour the car was but, with a lot of elbow grease, the layers of dirt came away. Once the car was clean there wasn't really anything she could do so she sat on her lawn and watched Tim work. He was tall and tanned, his dark curls falling into his eyes as he bent over the car. He was sweaty and covered with oil but as he bit his lip in concentration, his eyes glittered. They were wide blue pools and had reminded Lilly of her best friend's but there was something in Miley's eyes that she couldn't see in his.

She was watching Tim work, as usual, having already replaced the tyres and fixed the bumper. He stood up slowly and rubbed his hands on his jeans. He just grinned at her and slammed the hood down. Lilly had squeeled and jumped in the car twisting the key in the ignition. The car had roared to life sending a wave of excitement through Lilly. She had revved it a few times before hopping out and throwing her arms around Tim's neck. He had laughed as she thanked him repeatedly. On impulse she had reached up and kissed him, hard. They smiled at each other shyly when they pulled apart. "You're welcome." was all he said before insisting she take him for a spin. They had driven around for hours, the late August sun burning the backs of their necks before they stopped off at Rico's for celebratory nachos. She had missed him when she left. A year ago he had moved to New York and they had tried dating. By then things had changed; Lilly liked him but his eyes were too much like those of her absent best friend. It hurt too much.

Lilly stopped herself. She didn't want to think of that now, not when she was moving on again. She skipped a few songs until she heard what she wanted and turned the volume up even more. The skyscrapers had given way to houses a long time ago and as Lilly joined the interstate she shouted over the roar of passing traffic, "Goodbye New York!"

A/N: If you want to see what Lilly's car looks like put '1959 Rambler American station wagon' into Google images. I love them, they're so retro. =]


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: Thanks for the reviews, it makes me smile like this =D

Disclaimer: I don't own Hannah Montana, those lucky sods at Disney do.

Fate

Lilly had been driving for six hours. She was used to spending long hours on the road due to her job at ABC film but she had planned to stop overnight in Virginia. She wasn't scheduled to meet the estate agent until tomorrow afternoon. Catching sight of her watch Lilly raised an eyebrow; 6:02 PM. Her eyes raked over the passing landscape as she looked for a sign for the turn-off, she spotted it just ahead. "Hanging Rock 2 miles." Lilly got into lane and took the ramp off I-81. Hanging Rock was west of Roanoke, VA where Lilly had once filmed. It was named due to the huge rock formation that overlooked the small town. Along the main street Lilly found a motel and pulled into the parking lot. It was a small white building with ten rooms in the courtyard. She locked her car and headed towards the reception, stopping to read the opening hours on the door. She was happy to see that it was open 24/7; that meant she wouldn't have to wait around to hand the keys in and get going again in the morning. She pushed open the door, which chimed, and was greeted by a short man in a flannel shirt. He had his feet up on the counter and had been reading a fishing magazine before he heard her enter. Her stood up and gave her a warm smile.

"Hello there Miss, I'm Mick. How can I help you?"

"Hi, I'd like a room for one night please."

"You're lucky, we have one room left. Number eight. It'll be $15 for the night."

"That's fine, thank you." Lilly took the form he handed her and filled it in.

"What time are you planning on leaving Miss?" He checked the form and filed it away before heading to the row of keys on the back wall, sure enough there was only one set of keys left.

"I have to get going pretty early so I'd say about seven AM." She took the money out of her purse and handed it over, getting the keys in return.

"Ah that's fine, Claire will be here tomorrow morning so you can get going quick. I hope the room is to your liking, call if there's anything you need help with." He gave her a smile as she thanked him and headed for the door.

"Oh hang on, where's good to eat around here?" Lilly turned to face him, one hand on the door.

"That'd be JJ's diner just across the street. They do great pie."

"Great, thanks." She flashed him a smile and stepped outside. The door chimed. It was loud and Lilly thought it could become fantastically irritating very quickly. _Poor Mick…_

She moved her car in front of room eight and grabbed her overnight bag. She locked her car again and headed for the room. The door was bright yellow and the shiny number eight glinted in the evening sun, she turned the key in the lock and it opened easily. She was pleasantly surprised. The room wasn't huge but it was big enough to accommodate the double bed, dresser and chair comfortably. The walls were bright white as was the furniture. Lilly would have expected it to be a little grubby around the edges but it was immaculate. The bed sheets and curtains were yellow like the door and looked clean, thankfully. The blonde set her bag on the bed and inspected the bathroom, it too was spotless. Deciding it would be nice to freshen up before she went out for food, Lilly headed to the bathroom for a quick wash. Once she was done she picked up her purse and keys before heading out the door. She realised she had left her phone inside but didn't retrieve it. She wouldn't need it anyway. The diner was easy to spot; it was painted a bright blue. Once she was inside she found an empty booth by the window and took a seat. She had a quick look at the menu before sitting back and having a look around. It was fairly busy, most of the customers seemed to be wearing khaki pants, wellington boots and fishing hats. The waitress walked over to Lilly's table and saw where the blonde was looking.

"Fishing. The lake is perfect this time of year for catching carp. It always gets busy around these parts in early August." She smiled at Lilly; one hand on her hip, the other clutching a notebook.

"Oh…" Lilly returned the smile. "I wondered why the motel only had one room left."

"Well now you know." She pulled a pen from her apron pocket. A badge on it said her name was Lucy. "So what can I get you?"

"Erm, could I have the steak pie with potatoes please?"

"Sure, want gravy with that?" She scribbled away on the pad.

"Yes please." Lilly put the menu down.

"Ok and to drink?" Her eyes met Lilly's; they were dark brown like her hair.

"A root beer would be nice, thanks."

"No problem, your food shouldn't be too long. I'll get you that drink now."

Lilly thanked her again as she walked off. Her eyes followed her to the counter and then drifted to watch the fishermen again. They all seemed to know each other and were joking about happily. As Lilly's eyes drifted towards the door she watched as three men entered. They too were wearing fishing gear and carrying rods. She wondered whether they had caught anything today. She was interrupted by the arrival of her drink. She drank deeply, having discovered that she'd worked up a thirst. To her surprise she finished it in two. She had barely put the empty glass down before the waitress brought her food over. It was steaming hot and smelled heavenly to Lilly. Her stomach growled loudly and the waitress laughed.

"Here you go; sounds like you're ready for it!"

"Yeah I'll say. Travelling sure gives you an appetite." She smiled at the other girl.

"A thirst too by the looks, would you like a refill?"

"Please." Lilly handed her the glass and she walked off. She was back in a flash; Lilly barely had time to pick up her knife and fork. "Thank you."

"You're welcome, enjoy your food." With that she turned and left Lilly alone with her meal.

Lilly eyed the plate lovingly. The pie was huge and as she cut into it the smell that hit her nostrils made her mouth water. She ate a fork full and almost groaned in pleasure. _The motel guy was right, this is amazing…_She was determined to savour every mouthful but her stomach had other ideas, soon Lilly was staring at an empty plate. She sat back and sipped the last of her root beer, feeling exhausted. Eating big meals always made her sleepy for some reason. She set the empty glass down as the waitress came to clear her plate.

"Did you enjoy it?"

"It was amazing, thank you."

"Glad you liked it. Do you want anything else or are you ready to pay?"

"I'm ready to pay now."

"Great, just follow me to the register so I can ring it through." She stood; plate in hand and walked around the counter. Lilly followed her and watched as she put the plate in the dishwasher before meeting her at the register.

"Right then, that will be $7.96 please." She smiled at Lilly who handed her the money. "Thank you, here's your change."

"Great, thanks again." Lilly turned to leave.

"You're welcome. Goodnight."

"Night." She waved back to the girl as she pushed open the door and stepped outside.

She checked her watch and saw that it was a little after ten. The sun was just beginning to set behind Hanging Rock and Lilly stopped to admire it for a moment. It had been a while since she'd had the time to do it. She sighed and crossed the road to the motel, passing a lone fisherman on her way. Once she was in her room she headed for the bathroom. A nice hot shower was what she wanted to relax her aching back; sitting in a car all day had left her more than a little stiff. She emerged from the steamy room half an hour later wrapped in a towel, her wet hair dripping onto the blue carpet. She pulled her pyjamas out of her bag and put them on. She gave her hair a quick rub with the towel before turning the light off and hopping into bed. Her phone lay on the bedside table and Lilly quickly checked her messages; she had three from Nikki. Typing a quick reply she hit send. She snuggled into the covers and it wasn't long before the sound of her gentle snoring filled the little motel room.

The next morning Lilly walked into JJ's diner a little after 6:30 AM. She had been up at six so she could get a shower and some breakfast before heading off at seven. She stifled a yawn as she hopped onto a seat at the counter. The place was empty apart from four fishermen sitting in the corner. They looked much more awake than Lilly felt. She had never been good with early mornings.

"Good morning."

Lilly turned to look across the counter. It was the waitress from last night; Lucy. She smiled at the girl as she greeted her. "Morning, how are you?"

"No complaints. You're in awfully early." Lucy gave the counter a wipe as she spoke.

"I need to get going. Otherwise I would still be tucked up in bed." Lucy laughed and Lilly stifled another yawn.

"How about a coffee then?"

"That sounds great; can I get some pancakes too?"

"Sure, coming right up!" Lucy breezed away to give the chef her order and then set about making her coffee. She was humming to herself as she came back over to Lilly and set the cup in front of her.

"Thanks. You're far too cheerful for this ungodly hour." She added some milk and gave her coffee a stir before taking a sip.

"Well, I just have a good feeling about today." She smiled and took some coffee over to the fishermen. She came back just as Lilly's pancakes were being handed through the serving hatch. Lilly thanked her and started to eat slowly. Lucy leaned against the counter casually.

"So where are you off to?"

"Tennessee." Lilly took a sip of coffee.

"Not too far to go then. You got friends there or something?"

"No, I'm moving there."

"Really?" Her eyebrows raised in curiosity and Lilly felt the need to elaborate. She saw no reason to lie to her.

"Yeah, I decided to move last week. I bought a house on a whim and here I am."

"Wow, you just upped sticks?" She looked mildly impressed.

"I just wanted a change of scenery and Tennessee is a hell of a change from New York." Lilly grinned before finishing her pancakes.

"I'll say. Well good for you! I guess you've gotta grab life by the balls." She looked thoughtful. The blonde girl just grinned at her words.

"So what do I owe you?" Lilly tugged her purse out.

"That'll be… $3.20 please. Thanks." She took the note Lilly handed her and got her change. Lilly stood and gave her a warm smile.

"Well thank you; it was nice talking to you."

"You too. Good luck with Tennessee." She grinned back at the blonde.

"Thanks, bye. Have a nice day."

"See ya, drive carefully!"

Lilly left the diner and checked her watch; 6:58 AM. She smiled and headed to her room. Once she had collected her bag and checked she hadn't left anything she went out to her car. Its cherry red paint was glinting in the morning sunshine and Lilly felt a happy bubble expand in her chest. In another 7 hours she'd be in Tennessee. She chucked her bag next to her as she dropped into the driver's seat and drove went to the reception to hand her keys in. She got back into her car and headed for the nearest gas station to refill her tank and grab some water for the journey. Not long after she rejoined the interstate and headed south. The traffic was light and Lilly cruised along quite happily. She put another of her mix CD's on and wound the windows down; the breeze felt good on her skin. It was only 7:40 AM but the sun was already making Lilly stick to the leather seats.

Four hours, three CD's and two bottles of water later and Lilly really needed to use the bathroom. Luckily, or unluckily, there was a gas station a mile up the road and she turned off and pulled up in front of the pump. She jumped out quickly and started to fill the tank again. By the time it was full Lilly was desperate to use the bathroom and made her way inside to pay, pick up some water and find the restroom. She shoved the door open and it chimed annoyingly; the place was deserted. She wandered towards the fridge to pick up some water and then past dusty shelves to the cash desk. She spotted some Cheetos and grabbed a bag of those too.

"Hello?" Lilly put the stuff on the counter and looked towards the door marked 'Staff only'. "Hello, anybody here?"

"How can I help you Miss?"

"Wha-" Lilly jumped and span towards the voice. Behind her there was a man in a grubby vest and a trucker hat. "God you scared me." She giggled nervously as he headed around the cash desk and started to ring her goods up.

"Is it the gas too?" His eyes were dull and the hairs on the back of Lilly's neck stood on end.

"Yeah, the gas too."

"That's $42.80." He put Lilly's stuff into a paper bag as she put her card into the machine and entered her PIN. "Take your card. Thank you, goodbye."

"Thanks, erm where is the restroom?" Lilly picked the bag up.

"It's just round the side."

"Oh, ok. Thank you." She stepped outside and let out a sigh of relief. That guy had been seriously creepy. Once she had put her stuff in her car she made her way around the side of the building. Sure enough there was a door marked 'men' and one marked 'women'. Pushing open the door to the women's bathroom she was met by a horrible stench. She tried not to gag as she walked inside. It was dingy, the mirrors were cracked and a single light bulb hung from the ceiling. If Lilly hadn't been completely bursting she would have turned around and left. As it was, she was desperate. Breathing through her mouth she walked over to a stall and pushed to door open. It swung on creaky hinges and revealed a cracked filthy toilet with no seat. Flies buzzed and Lilly turned away gagging. The next one was little better but the third was useable. It at least had a seat. She stepped inside the stall and slid the lock shut behind her. She unzipped her shorts and yanked them down, hovering above the seat. There was no way in hell she was going to sit on it. _Oh god, I'd better not get pee on my shoes, they're new. Good job I brought my own tissue…_She stared at the graffiti that covered the stall. Phone numbers for sex lines, dozens of names and crude jokes… Lilly was startled when she heard the door creak open and slow shuffling footsteps echo around the empty room. Her breath caught in her throat as she listened for movement. There was silence. _What if it's the creepy guy from inside?_ Lilly's skin crawled. She was just thinking about how best to incapacitate him when the door slammed shut again. _Does that mean they left..?_ As soon as she finished she bolted from the stall, quickly washing her hands in the cleanest basin, and stepped out into the sunlight. Once she was back in her car heading towards the interstate again she felt her fear melt away. She shook her head and chuckled.

"Lilly you fruit loop." She muttered to herself as she skipped a few tracks on her CD.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Lilly finally gets to Tennessee! Will the house be as perfect as she remembers? Will she actually be able to live in it? Will the locals be friendly? Most importantly, has her cactus survived the journey?

Read & review please!

Disclaimer: I still don't own Hannah Montana.

Fate

If Lilly had been listening to the radio she would have noticed the change in sound as she crossed the state line into Tennessee. Guitars and banjos would have welcomed her with southern hospitality but Lilly never listens to the radio. However, she did notice the huge sign at the side of the road; 'Tennessee state line.' As she shot past it in her station wagon she let out a 'whoop' of happiness and grinned manically as she eyed the scenery. She drove through countryside, large cities and finally more countryside as she took a winding road south of Nashville. Thirty minutes of rolling greens fields, cattle and hills later she spotted a sign ahead. 'Welcome to Beech Creek, population 1,430.' _Make that 1,431…_Lilly slowed as she drove past the sign and got her second look at the town. The houses were all identical in size, many had picket fences and she smiled as she spotted a station wagon similar to hers in a driveway. She took a left as directed and found herself at the towns centre, it was clustered with shops and she caught many curious eyes as she drove past and turned onto Otter Lane. 1400…1402… 1404… 1406… Finally Lilly set eyes on her new home. It stood out from the white row of houses, its outside was weathered and dirty but her heart swelled. She pulled up next to the 'For Sale' sign, which now had a large 'SOLD' sticker across it. She was barely out of the car when a man in black trousers and a mint green shirt appeared from thin air.

"Hey there! Ya must be Miss Truscott." He gripped her in a firm handshake and gave her a warm smile.

"Hey, yes I am indeed. Are you Mr Hill?" She returned his smile as she let go of his rough hand.

"Call me Bobby. So Miss, ya ready to view your new house?" He pulled the keys out if his pocket and dangled them in front of her.

"Please, call me Lilly. I certainly am." Her eyes were glued to the keys and she heard Bobby laugh before cool metal bit into her palm. She barely stopped herself from running up the garden path as she internally 'Eeeped' with excitement. It seemed like walking was taking forever so she caved in and took the porch steps two at a time, reaching the door quickly. Her hands shook in anticipation as she struggled to slide the key into the lock. Finally it clicked and the door swung open. Lilly gasped.

This was the first time she had seen the inside and it was better than she had ever hoped. The house had been repaired and all the walls had been painted white. She stepped inside and her footsteps squeaked on the polished wood floor.

"The floor is what was originally put in when this place was built. It's oak like the rest, it just need polishing up." As he said this he pointed at the beams on the ceiling and Lilly's eyes were drawn to the wide staircase.

She wandered through the front living room and into the dining room. There was a large table with four chairs in the centre; it matched the rest of the wood. She pushed open a door and found the kitchen. It had shelves and counter tops covering the back wall and an island in the middle as work space. The large stove was on the left hand wall in between a deep set sink and a refrigerator. Everything looked brand new and Bobby quickly told her that it was. He led her to the French doors on the left which opened up onto the back patio. She stepped outside and her eyes widened at the view. The garden was massive with lush green grass and twin flower beds either side of a small greenhouse on the left. To the right there was an oak tree which topmost branches seemed to touch the cloudless blue skies. Lilly looked past it all and could see the creek at the very bottom, winding its way through the gentle slope like a glittering snake.

"Like I said on the phone, the land runs right down to the creek." He smiled at the awe on Lilly's face. "A gardener comes once a fortnight to mow the lawn but the flowers pretty much grow themselves."

"Good because I'm not much of a gardener." Lilly admitted.

"Guess you won't have much use for that greenhouse then." Bobby chuckled. "Want to see the rest Miss?"

"Yeah." As she stepped inside she turned to him. "Do you know how old that tree is?"

"The oak?" The blonde girl nodded. "Hmm, it's been there since the ranch was built in 1903."

"Pretty old then." They both laughed as they walked through the kitchen and pushed open the door which led back to the living room and they made their way up the ornately carved staircase. On the landing Lilly was faced by four doors; two in front of her and one on either side of the staircase. She opened the one in the centre and found the master bedroom. It housed a double bed, walk-in closet, bookcase and had a giant window which over looked the back garden. Lilly already knew she was going to love sleeping in there. The door next to the master bedroom turned out to be a large bathroom and the other two were identical bedrooms.

"Perfect for guests or any little 'uns that come along." He winked at Lilly who just smiled and shook her head.

"We'll see about that one."

On the front porch Lilly said goodbye to Bobby and walked to her car. She popped the trunk open and started to unload boxes. She had made three trips to the house before a young man in jeans and a plaid shirt approached her.

"Hey there Miss, looks like ya need a hand?" He said it like a question and Lilly stood up straight. She flicked her hair from her face and brushed down her tee shirt before smiling at him.

"Hey. I'd appreciate that. I'm Lilly Truscott." She shook his hand.

"Name's Ryan. Ryan Thatcher." He pushed his sleeves a little further up his arms before bending down and grabbing the box Lilly had been attempting to pick up. Lilly pulled a box of oddments out of the trunk and led Ryan up the path.

"So where abouts ya from?"

"New York."

"Really? Ya accent ain't Yankee." His own accent was undeniably Southern.

"Yeah, well I'm from Malibu originally but I moved to college in D.C and then I lived in New York for the past few years." She showed him where to put his box.

"That explains it." He looked around the house letting out a low whistle. "Well it sure don't look as wrecked as the outside."

"Yeah the outside needs some sprucing up." They both walked back down to the car and carried on unloading. Soon it was all done and Lilly stood looking at the two dozen boxes in her living room.

"Sure don't look like much Miss." Ryan was following her gaze as he ran his fingers through his dark hair.

"It came with furniture so I didn't bring any furnishings or crockery. Just clothes, junk and helluva lot of books."

"Don't forget ya cactus." They grinned at each other as Ryan placed it on the coffee table.

"How could I… I'd offer you a drink only I don't have anything in."

"Don't ya'll worry about that Miss." He headed for the door.

"Call me Lilly. Well thank you for helping me out."

"My pleasure, Lilly." He started to head down the path and Lilly watched him go from the patio. She was just about to go back inside when he turned around.

"Listen, seen as ya ain't got any groceries why don't ya head over to the diner with me later? I could introduce ya to folks." He ran his fingers through his hair again.

"Sure that sounds great." She smiled at him and he grinned back.

"Alright then, how about I come by at six?"

"Perfect, I'll see you then."

Ryan waved and headed off down the road. Lilly leaned against the door frame and watched him turn a corner before closing the door and beginning to unpack. She had four hours before Ryan would be back so she decided to make a start. Hauling boxes up the stairs was exhausting and soon Lilly was sweating like mad but she managed to get everything she needed upstairs. She hung her clothes up and shoved the remaining boxes in a corner. Downstairs she moved the boxes into another corner and picked up the one labelled 'Bathroom'. She put it on the floor of the bathroom and pulled out a towel and some toiletries before stripping and jumping in the tub, pulling the shower curtain closed. The cool water soothed her sweaty skin and as she scrubbed herself she began to sing a mash-up of songs.

"Took a bus straight to Baltimore

On the way he took a nap

Dropped off a note that said

"I'm giving this note back"

Lilly squeezed some apple shampoo into her hand and lathered up her hair, flicking it over her shoulder to reach the ends. She stepped under the stream of water and rinsed. Spluttering on an accidental mouthful of water she began a new song without thinking.

"Don't let no small frustration  
Ever bring you down  
No no no no  
Just take a situation  
And turn it all around  
With a new attitude everything can change  
Make it how you want it to be  
Staying mad  
Why do that

Give yourself a break  
Laugh about it and you'll see

Life's what you make it  
So lets make it rock  
Life's what you make it  
So come on come on!"

She was about to start the second verse when she realised what she was singing. Knowing it was stupid to get upset by such a trivial thing she felt the pang in her heart fade as she shut the water off. True, the song had reminded her of Miley and it hurt, especially since she hadn't heard the song in five years. She had taken extreme measures and had put all the things that reminded her of Miley in a box which she had shoved away in her closet. Later it had gotten mixed up with lots of other unmarked boxes, mainly of university notes and essays. She had often thought that she should have thrown it all away but that was something she just couldn't bring herself to do. She didn't listen to the radio in case a Hannah Montana song came on and she avoided music and celebrity magazines like the plague. Seeing her ex-best friends face staring at her from the glossy cover wasn't a surprise Lilly wanted.

She stepped out of the tub and pulled her towel off the rail, flinging it over her head and rubbing her blonde hair dry. She stepped to side and found something hit the back of her legs. Her feet shot out from under her and she grabbed blindly, her fist bunching up in something plastic and wet. It was no use. Lilly felt the smooth wooden floor against her back and she groaned. Pulling the fluffy towel off her head she saw the shower curtain laying torn at her side, the cardboard box was propping her feet up.

"Guess I need a new shower curtain." She muttered before pulling her bruised body up and hobbling to her bedroom.

It didn't take long for Lilly to get dressed; half of her clothes were still in boxes so her choice was limited. She decided on a knee length green skirt with a simple white vest and grey cardigan in case it got chilly. It was the middle of August so sandals seemed like a good idea. Checking her reflection in the mirror she smiled; she looked good. Turning on her heel she flicked her long hair over her shoulder and picked up her purse as she headed downstairs. She was halfway down the stairs when a shadow darkened her doorway and there was a knock at the door. She smoothed her skirt and pulled the door open.

"Hey ya ready Lilly?" Ryan had changed; he wore black jeans with a pair of black cowboy boots and a red shirt. His sleeves were rolled up and the top three buttons were undone.

"Ready as I'll ever be." Lilly smiled at him as she turned to lock her door. They made their way down the steps and onto the street.

"Did ya get very far with the unpacking?"

"Noope, not really. Mostly I just moved the boxes around and then tore the shower curtain off the rail."

"Why'd ya go an' do that?"

"Um, I tripped on a box…" Lilly blushed as Ryan laughed.

"Guess that's somethin' else to add to ya shoppin' list."

"Yup! So where do you live?"

"Just down there." He pointed down a road that ran adjacent to Otter Lane. "I was workin' over at the Carmichael's, they live at 1403 when I saw ya and figured ya needed a hand."

"Oh, what kinda work?"

"I'm a gardener. I mow lawns, plant flowers… In fact, I'm the one who mow's ya lawn and I planted the flowers near ya greenhouse."

"Really?! That's nice to know. Those flowers are beautiful."

"Thanks." He smiled at her shyly as they walked past a wrought iron fence.

"Wow." Lilly stopped and stared through it at the huge white house that was sitting on a lush green lawn. She had a sudden flashback and remembered doing the very same thing seven years ago. _Miley._ Surprisingly this memory of her friend doesn't stab at her heart. It's almost like the stabbing had turned into a gentle squeeze. Lilly wasn't sure if the sensation was uncomfortable or not. Ryan stopped too and looked at her curiously. "Sorry. Do you know if anyone lives here?"

"Yer some gal does but she's been away for a while now." They started walking again as Ryan spoke. "Of course I do the gardenin'; keepin' it nice for her like. She pays me fine but like I said, she ain't been home for a few months now. Shame 'cause folks round here like her plenty. I think it's her job that keeps her away but no one knows what she does. She must be a movie star or somethin' to afford that house." He smiled at Lilly and chuckled.

"Yeah…" Lilly's brain was ticking crazily. She knew it was stupid but a voice in her mind was chanting Miley's name. The blonde shook her head and ignored the voice, which sounded creepily like her old friend Oliver, and pushed the crazy thoughts away. _As if the mysterious girl is Miley, that's ridiculous! _

Ryan chatted away happily as they rounded a corner onto Peach Street; it was the main road that all the shops were on. It was bustling with people and Lilly once again felt curious eyes on her. Ryan smiled and waved at a few people who waved back and smiled at Lilly too. She felt her nerves build as Ryan pulled the diner door open and motioned her inside.

Big Mo's Diner was no different from all the other small town diner's Lilly has been in over the years. Its white walls were covered in pictures of local scenery, a giant menu hung on the wall either side of the counter and locals were sitting on the red vinyl seats. Lilly tried not to stare at the checkerboard floor as Ryan laid a hand on the small of her back and gently steered her forward. She took no more than two steps before a voice boomed out above the chatter of the locals.

"Ryan! Bud, get ya skinny ass over here!" They both looked over to see a man in a black tee shirt and jeans waving at them from the far end of the counter. Ryan waved back as they made their way over, all eyes now on them. Lilly blushed self-conciously as she met a few people's eyes. No one seemed hostile, just generally curious as to who she was. They stopped at the counter and Ryan introduced her.

"This here's Lilly Truscott, she just moved into the old ranch on Otter Street. Lilly this is Tommy, his girlfriend Katie, Darla and that cheeseball is Hank." They all exchanged smiles and Hank, the guy who had shouted them, offered his hand.

"Nice to meet you Miss. Everyone's been real curious 'bout ya ever since we heard ya was movin' down here."

"Really?" Lilly's throat was dry and it came out a little croaky.

"Sure thing, we don't get many folks movin' here. Last we had was two years ago an' they disappear most of the time."

Lilly was about to ask who when a plump woman in an apron addressed the group from behind the counter. Her name tag said 'Big Mo'.

"Alright ya'll ready to order somethin' now?"

"Yer sure thing Mo, just talkin' to Lilly here." Hank gestured to her. "How abo-"

"Oh my, where are my manners… Hello there sweetie, I'm Big Mo." She squeezed Lily's hand gently. "Y'know it's so nice to see a new face round here. Did ya like the house?"

"Lilly Truscott. Yeah the house is gorgeous."

"Ah well that's good to hear, that place has been empty for far too long. So I expect ya hungry, what can I get ya?"

"Oh um…" She quickly cast her eyes over the menu. "Can I get the chilli and a lemonade please?"

"Sure thing sugar." She scribbled it down on her pad and turned to the others. "Now what about ya'll?"

Later that night Lilly lay in bed staring at her unfamiliar room. She snuggled into her pillows and let her mind drift over her first day in Beech Creek. She had fun at the diner that night; Ryan's friends were a lot of fun. She found that they weren't all that different from her friends back in New York, she especially liked Ryan. He reminded her of Nikki except well, he was male. Ryan had walked her home that night and when she caught his dark eyes looking at her curiously she had asked him why he was looking at her like that.

"It's funny; ya never said why ya chose this house. Most people would have run a mile. I mean look at it, from the outside it looks ready to fall apart."

"It feels like home. Besides, I like broken things."

Reflecting on it Lilly thinks that it couldn't be more true; she did like broken things. Her car, the house… They had more character than things that were perfect.

The summer evening air floated in through the open window and Lilly breathed in deeply. Fresh air; so much nicer than the smog of New York City. It was quiet outside, the only sounds being the wind and the far away trickling of the creek. This lullaby was much more soothing than the sirens and shouts of the Big Apple and Lilly's eyes slowly fluttered closed.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: Once again, thanks for the reviews! I know you're all waiting for the Liley and I promise you it will be here shortly =]

R&R please…

Disclaimer: Not mine, however I did have a Hannah Montana cake for my birthday last Friday. I was 19… *looks sheepish* =D

Fate

It had been almost a month since Lilly had moved in to her ranch house and she had settled into country life remarkably fast. Each day she woke up to the sound of the neighbouring farm's cockerel and found that she actually liked it. She would throw open her curtains and admire the view before getting a shower and pulling some shorts and a tee shirt on. Breakfast was always eaten out on her back porch where she enjoyed the summer breeze. She found she had very little use for the dining table now she was living the good life. Life in Beech Creek was simple. She had so much free time on her hands that she had spent most of it wandering around the towns limited shops and chatting to the locals. Every single one of them had been welcoming and in no time at all she felt like a part of the community. Ryan stopped by to see her every so often and they spent many an afternoon in her garden. He had taken it upon himself to turn Lilly into an expert gardener.

"A girl named Lilly should at least be able to grow a few sunflowers without killin' them." He had said whilst handing her a packet of seeds.

"A guy named Ryan should know a lost cause when he sees one!" She had shaken them at him before kneeling down and getting her hands dirty.

Despite her doubts she had planted a row of sunflowers against her greenhouse and had since checked on them every morning. There was still no sign of their little green shoots and Lilly got a little more disappointed each day. Complaining to Ryan had been no use. He just told her that it took time and had asked her if she wanted to grow her own vegetables. Lilly had rolled her eyes but found herself planting carrots and staking tomatoes all afternoon.

It was August 28th, 7:02 AM. Lilly skipped down the last few stairs humming softly. Her hair was still damp from her shower so she decided to go and sit in the sun while the kettle boiled. A gentle breeze tickled her bare legs as she sprawled on a sun lounger and let her eyes drift around her garden. Her eyes landed on the flower bed and she sat bolt upright. She blinked twice before launching herself towards it and squatting down. From the rich brown soil six tiny green shoots were peeking out at the sun. Lilly laughed and grazed one of them lightly with her finger tip. She had actually managed to grow something. She stood up and made her way inside, singing to herself cheerfully as she made a cup of coffee and went outside to get the mail. She was just sticking her hand inside the newly painted box when she heard a familiar voice call her name.

"Mornin' Lilly!" Ryan was walking towards her. He was wearing shorts and a faded red tee shirt.

"Morning! Guess what?" She pulled two letters and a jiffy bag from the mail box.

"What?"

"The sunflowers are showing! Come see." He had no time to protest as Lilly dragged him through the house and to the flower bed.

"Well lookee here, I knew ya could do it." He smiled at her and she beamed back.

"Maybe I do have green fingers. Do you want a coffee or something?"

"Sure, a coffee would be nice." They headed inside and Lilly set about finding a mug while Ryan sat on a stool by the counter. "So what a ya up to today?"

"Well I was going to finish painting the front door and the porch." Lilly placed a steaming mug in front of him and hoped up onto the counter. She started to open the letters she had thrown down next to the fruit bowl. "I'm just glad I got most of it done last week."

"I still think ya should put some window boxes out there. It'd brighten it right up."

"Y'know, I think I will. Not that it won't be bright without it. I'm painting it cherry red. Like Redgie!" The first two letters were bills and Lilly picked up the jiffy bag curiously.

"Ya car? Woman ya sure are somethin' else."

Lilly tore it open and pulled a book out from inside. Her mouth dropped open as she read the post-it note that was stuck to the cover. 'Thought you'd like the first copy, hot off the press. Congratulations! – Orchard.' She peeled it off quickly and got her first look at her book. The artwork was a simple photo of a cracked mirror It had 'Unlucky – Lilly Truscott' stamped across the front in bold and Lilly couldn't contain her squeal of excitement.

"EEEP!" She jumped off the counter and began her happy dance while Ryan looked on amused.

"What's got ya so happy?" His question was answered when she thrust the book in his face. "Holy cow, this is what you were tellin' me about? Gee today really is ya lucky day huh?"

Lilly read the accompanying letter while Ryan flicked through the first few pages of her book. His eyes were glued to the page as he spoke.

"So when is this gona be in the store?"

"On the first, three days from now!" Lilly stuck her letter to the fridge proudly.

"Good 'cause I don't wanna put this thing down."

Lilly laughed as Ryan made a great show of tearing his eyes away and standing up to leave.

"I gotta get to work but I'll swing by later if ya want and bring ya some flowers for the window boxes. Then we could hit the diner and celebrate?"

"Sounds like a plan Batman, later." She closed the door behind him and ran into the kitchen. She flicked her stereo on and leaped about the house singing loudly. She set about washing the breakfast things before heading to the greenhouse to retrieve her paint and brushes. Time to get messy.

The late afternoon sun was burning the back of Lilly's neck as she finished painting her front porch. Her blonde hair was pulled back into a messy bun and some strands had escaped, tickling her neck lightly. She stood up slowly, feeling the muscles in her back complain after being bent over for so long. She swiped a painty hand over her damp forehead before a hand grabbed her shoulder. She jumped about a foot in the air and span round, brandishing her paintbrush threateningly.

"Woah! Watch it woman, it's just me." Ryan stepped back sharply to avoid being given a red beard by the blonde.

"Jesus Ryan! You trying to give me a heart attack?" She put her paintbrush in the tin and wiped her hands on her already stained shorts.

"Sorry, I brought you those flowers." He held up his hands to show her two buckets. Lilly peeked inside at the colourful petals and smiled.

"Oooh ok you're forgiven. Watch the rail its wet." Together they climbed the steps and Ryan placed the buckets on the ground. He pulled out some purple and red flowers before he pulled out a bloom that Lilly recognised.

"Lillies…"

"Well I figured they'd be nice, with the red and purple. Plus, ya know…"

"I think they'll look gorgeous, thank you!" She gave him a quick hug before they set to work planting.

An hour later they were sitting on the front porch admiring their handiwork with glasses of iced tea. The sun had sunk low in the sky and they were both exhausted and dirty. Lilly tilted her head to look at Ryan, who was looking thoughtfully out across the road.

"Where did you learn how to garden?" Lilly didn't think he heard at first but then he turned to her.

"My momma taught me when I was a kid. I used to love learnin' all the fancy names and plantin' things in my garden. My momma and I were real close. My pop didn't like it, said it was for faggots. He left when I was six, momma told me we were better off without his sorry ass and she was right. Since then I carried on, then when momma died I decided to get a job as a gardener." He smiled softly at Lilly but his eyes looked sad.

"I'm sorry Ryan." She didn't know what else to say. Her own father was a waste of space but there was a real hatred in Ryan's voice when he spoke of his father.

"S'alright Lilly, he was a drunken fool. People round here never liked him, they're all much more understandin' ya know." He must have seen the look of confusion on Lilly's face because he elaborated. "Gays. Small southern towns are s'posed to be against it and crap but here folks don't care. Not once has anybody ever given me trouble."

"Your gay?!" Lilly's eyes went wide.

"As the day is long." He looked at Lilly carefully and was relieved when she smiled and squeezed his hand. He would hate for his new gardening buddy to have been homophobic.

"Come on, let's wash up and head to the diner. Bathroom's at the top of the stairs."

She watched as Ryan climbed the stairs and went into the bathroom. The news he had just given her was a little surprising but not in a bad way. The thought simply hadn't crossed her mind, she wasn't homophobic. After all, half her friends in New York had been gay. She had always been very open about her own sexuality, she wasn't gay but she wasn't really sure if she could call herself 100% straight either. There had been times where she had been curious about what it would be like to kiss a girl but there had been no girl with whom she felt that pull. If she was honest she'd never really felt that pull with a guy either. Her thoughts were interrupted by Ryan emerging from the bathroom looking dirt-free.

"Why don't you go watch TV or something while I get ready? I promise I won't be too long."

"Sure thing sugar." He made his way downstairs as Lilly grabbed her things and jumped in the shower. True to her words she was as quick as possible, pulling on a fresh pair of denim shorts and a red vest. She hammered down the stairs and saw Ryan sprawling on her red couch watching MTV.

"Holy smokes, ya were fast. Come on then Miss lets hit the trail."

Lilly barely had time to grab her purse before Ryan offered her his arm and the pair headed off towards town.

Later that night Lilly was in her living room watching a late night horror film. She had just gotten up to close the curtains and took a quick peek out at the deserted street. With a contented sigh she plopped back onto the couch where Ryan had sat six hours earlier. Had she been looking out of the window a few seconds longer she would have seen a bright purple sports car tear down the street and disappear behind the wrought iron gate.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: I have decided Lilly's favourite colour is red, hence all the red stuff lol

Thanks for the reviews; they make me smile so please carry on doing it! This chapter is dedicated to all of those who wished me a happy birthday and to Anti-Gravity111 in particular because they had a Hannah Montana cake for their birthday too =D

I have managed to squish three of my fingers whilist on a giant muddy hamster wheel (weird assault course) so I warn you now; there may be typos and it may take me a while to churn some more chapters out. Although I have the two after this one already typed up. Aren't I great? Whether I post them this week or not, is an entirely different kettle of fish.

OH! Just a quick question; when I update does it come up on the 'Just In' section or the start of the Hannah Montana archive? Just curious because I can never find it when I check.

Disclaimer: I wish.

Fate

It was dark and cramped. Lilly shuffled forward carefully, her right hand sliding over the wall until it found its target. The light flickered on and she blinked against the sudden brightness. Her closet was jammed with boxes of junk and clothes. She quickly spotted what she was looking for on the top shelf at the back, her box of novel notes. Stretching on her tiptoes Lilly could just about tug at the corner of the box and it slowly moved toward the edge. Unfortunately, the blonde failed to notice a second box perched on top of it. Suddenly both boxes toppled from the shelf and Lilly shrieked, covering her head with her arms. One box landed with a thud on the floor and papers spilled out everywhere while the other had a softer landing. Lilly sat up and shoved the box off her stomach. That was the second time she had been floored by a cardboard box and it wasn't fun. Just as she got to her feet and picked up the spilled papers, the light bulb blew. She sighed as she shuffled her way out of the dark closet.

Once she was out in the light of her bedroom she spread the papers out over her double bed and began to flick through them. She was looking for inspiration. Orchard had called her that morning to discuss her doing a sequel and she had told them she would look into it. It felt strange to begin writing a sequel when her first book wasn't due to hit the shelves for another two days but she gave it some thought anyway. It took her six minutes to get bored.

As a distraction she grabbed her purse and headed out of the door. It was another beautifully sunny day in Beech Creek and Lilly took her time strolling into town. She stopped to chat to the Carmichael's and old Mr Huckle who was sitting in his garden with a newspaper. She neglected to notice the purple convertible sitting in the driveway of the huge white house. She didn't even notice that the gate was wide open. When Lilly reached town she made her way to Nichols general store and pushed open the door. It chimed. _Why do all doors chime these days?_ Lilly pondered this for a good few seconds as she navigated her way down the aisles to the DIY section. Saws, hammers, nails… Finally Lilly came to a row of boxed light bulbs. She bit her lip thoughtfully as she checked to see which would fit the fixture in her closet. Satisfied with her choice she carried the small box down the aisle when a gardening display caught her eye. She investigated the rows of fertiliser, tools and ornaments, finally stopping in front of two figurines. They were gnomes. One was male and was digging with a little spade. He had dark hair under a blue cowboy hat. The other was female and was carrying a basket of flowers. She was blonde with a red bow in her hair. _Oh now that's just too cute_. A grin split Lilly's face as she picked them up and headed to the register. They would look adorable in the flower bed. Ryan would love it.

Once she had paid for her goods she made her way back home. She went straight out into the garden and introduced her gnomes to their new home, under the shelter of her flourishing sunflowers. She stepped back and smiled, they looked delightfully tacky. Leaving them to their gardening she ambled up the stairs and changed the light bulb in her closet before sitting down by her window and starting up her laptop. She answered a few e-mails, filling Nikki in and asking her when she was going to visit, before heading downstairs to make a late lunch. Barely halfway down the door knocked. Ryan was leaning against the doorframe when she opened it and he followed her inside

"Fancy heading over to Big Mo's for a bite?"

"Sure, saves me cooking. I have something to show you first." She led him outside to the flower bed and pointed. He just laughed.

"My god Lilly, ain't they the tackiest things I ever laid my eyes on!"

"Yeah but they're delightfully tacky!" She grinned at him. "That one's you, see?"

"Oh and that one's you then?" He chuckled heartily as she nodded. "You're somethin' else woman, ya really are."

"I know, I'm a dork." She grabbed his hand and pulled him away. "Come on then I'm hungry."

In no time at all, thanks to Lilly's rumbling stomach, they were in the diner sitting up at the counter. Ryan was still looking at the menu when Big Mo came over to them.

"Well if it isn't my favourite gardener and our little writer! How are ya?" She smiled at the pair warmly as she picked up a pad and pencil.

"No complaints Ma'am." Ryan had his nose still in the menu.

"Fine thanks, how about you?" The blonde pushed her fringe out of her eyes.

"Well I'm just grand sugar. What can I get ya?" She raised the pencil to scratch behind her ear.

"I'll have a cheeseburger and fries with a banana shake please."

"No problem, and you son?"

"I'll have the fried chicken an' potatoes with a Pepsi please."

"Ok, comin' right up." She gave the order to her husband who worked as the chef before heading over to make their drinks. Big Mo's husband was a tall broad man with greying hair and a goatee. He smiled at Lilly through the serving hatch then turned his attention to their food. Big Mo was back in no time, placing their drinks in front of them with a flourish and then serving the other customers. Lilly took a slurp of her banana shake; it was thick and creamy and left her with a milk-stache. Ryan sniggered at her before she had a chance to wipe it off and she glared at him.

"Don't be givin' me no filthy eyes honey"

"Don't be sniggerin' at my milk-stache then honey." She mimicked his accent and Ryan gave her a hurt look.

"Breakin' my heart here Lilly." He put a hand on his chest and gave her puppy dog eyes.

"You'll get over it." They shared a cheeky smile. "Anyway, I heard from my friend Nikki today. She's coming down in a week to visit. There's a possibility she'll be bring Joel with her, he's another friend."

"Oh well that sounds good, y'know I think there's a rodeo that week. It'd sure as hell be fun, especially for ya city slickers."

"Aha excellent. Joel loves cowboys." She winked at Ryan who blushed slightly. Before she could goad him any further their food arrived and Lilly inhaled deeply. "Mmm smells great. Thank that husband of yours for me Mo."

"Right ya are sugar. Hey Earl…" She walked off leaving the pair with their meals. Lilly reached for the ketchup and turned it upside down. The cap fell off and red sauce raced out all over her hand.

"Jesus! Oh damnit." Lilly put the bottle down and went to grab a napkin.

"S'alright, I hear it's a good moistureiser." A husky voice said from beside her, a hand appeared in her line of sight with a few napkins. Lilly turned to thank them and her eyes were sucked into wide blue pools. Her heart stopped.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Guess whooo?!

I know these chapters are mega short but I can't resist giving teasing you lot! =D

BTW the ketchup thing was because of the first HM episode where Miley is trying to score with that Jonny guy... Lilly also calls her "totally cute" and gives her a friendship bracelet. Aww =]

R&R my lovelies!

Disclaimer: Not mine, I have to give them back once I've finished playing.

Fate

"M-Miley?" The blonde stuttered as she looked into her old friends eyes.

"Oh my lord, Lilly?" Her eyes reflected the same look of shock Lilly could feel on her own face.

"Christ, why are you here?" The ketchup was beginning to coagulate on Lilly's hands and she hastily wiped it off.

"I live here, what in the Sam Heck are you doing here?" Miley hadn't taken her eyes off the blonde.

"I live here!" Lilly let out the breath she didn't know she'd been holding. Something in her chest was leaping madly.

"What, where? Not that old ranch…" Miley's eyes widened even more as Lilly nodded.

"Yeah. I moved in last month. You remembered?" Lilly bit her lip to stop it from quivering as Miley replied.

"I remember everything Lils." The brunette's eyes shined as unshed tears clouded the blue. She slowly reached a hand out to rest on the blonde's but before it made contact Lilly stood up abruptly.

"Miles…" A tear slips down her cheek as she bolted out of the diner, leaving a weeping Miley and a confused Ryan behind.

Lilly ran blindly down the street ignoring the few concerned looks and questions. She didn't stop until she was in her bedroom, lying with her face buried in the covers. Tears soaked into the fabric as her sobs are muffled. Her chest feels like it's been ripped apart and she wrapped her arms around herself to hold it together. It didn't feel right. She couldn't deny that her heart leapt when she found herself staring into those familiar ocean eyes but now she was drowning herself in salty tears. The shock had been too much, it's not that she had wanted to run but her legs had moved automatically. Fight or flight. She should have fought for their friendship five years ago, instead she had let distance and ambition destroy it. Her distance and Miley's ambition. It's not like they hadn't tried; they e-mailed each other and called but it just wasn't the same. The first Christmas after Lilly left for college was the worst. She had gone home especially to see Miley. She had it all planned out. Malibu was odd at Christmas, it was sunny, which never felt right to Lilly. They planned to meet on the beach and exchange gifts. Lilly strolled along the sand and sat outside Rico's, which was closed for the holidays. She was a few minutes early so she took the time to admire the beach. It was still the same as ever. The minutes ticked by and Lilly watched out for Miley. Minutes turned into hours. Finally Lilly admitted defeat. She wasn't coming. The gift she had spent forever wrapping was left on the table as she walked home sobbing. That was the last Christmas she spent in Malibu. She'd hoped Miley would call and make things better but all she got was a text. 'Sorry, Hannah emergency xox.' Hannah. The third party in their relationship, like a wall she came between them and like a wall nothing short of a sledgehammer could shift her. It had been different when she had Lola but Lola was in a box at the back of her closet. Lilly doubted she had the energy to resurrect her.

Slowly her sobs turned into whimpers which sounded so pathetic that Lilly stopped immediately. She was not pathetic. She sat up and went to the bathroom to get a shower. The hot water opened her sinuses that were clogged from her crying. As the water drummed onto her skin a flurry of thoughts whirled around her head. Miley lived here. Possibly in the huge white mansion. She had moved here because fate had showed her this house. What if fate meant for her to meet Miley again? What if this was their chance to reconcile? She had missed her best friend. Five years hadn't helped her move on. There was still a part of her that was Lilly Truscott; hyperactive skater girl, sidekick to Miley Ray Stewart; secret rock star. That side of her had been buried under years of denial but in two minutes Miley had dug it up. That side of her was screaming for her to get dressed, grab her board and see her best friend. She shut the water off, wrapped a towel around herself and went to her room. The light in her closet flared and she made her way along the rails of clothes, picking a pair of skinny jeans and a Blue October tee shirt. She was just about to leave when a box caught her eye. It was the one that had floored her earlier that day. She picked it up; noticing that it was heavier than it looked and brought it into her room. It was fairly large so she placed it on the floor. She pulled on her clothes then sat cross legged in front of it. She tore the parcel tape off and lifted the flaps. In her heart she knew what was inside before she even looked.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Miley's baccckkkkk! Hooray I hear you cry, however, will it work out or will Lilly still keep Lola hidden in a box at the back of her closet?

Y'know it's really strange; just as I finished writing these chapters an old friend of mine, whom I hadn't spoken to in years, sent me and e-mail. It was a very nice but very weird surprise lol

R&R please! Thank you to those of you who have reviewed, it really does make my day =]

Disclaimer: Not mine blah blah blahh…

Fate

It was a box of junk. To many people's eyes it was just a few old picture albums, crumpled letters and assorted Hannah Montana merchandise. There were CD's too. Not just the Hannah albums (signed of course) but numerous handmade CD's with songs Miley had written just for Lilly. Miley had drawn hearts on them with a black Sharpie and written cute messages. Because that's what best friends do. The letters were written over the years the girls had spent together at Seaview, they saw each other everyday but it was nice to have written proof of their friendship. Lilly gently pulled one of the photo albums out of the box and brushed the dust from the cover. Trying not to sneeze she opened it and saw herself with Miley. Photographic Miley had her arm around her shoulder and was smiling goofily at the camera. Lilly was pulling a face. The blonde snapped it shut and pulled out the other one. Underneath it was a stack of old music magazines with Hannah's pouting face on. Not just Hannah. Lola stared back at her too; red wig in place and a playful smirk on her lips. They came as a package back then. You didn't just get the gorgeous, glamorous Hannah Montana but her beautifully quirky BFF, Lola Luftnagle too. Lola had been everything Lilly wished she could be and now being confronted by her after five years, Lilly was a little scared.

There was a small box tucked in one corner and Lilly pulled it out curiously. She couldn't remember what it was but as she lifted the lid she froze. Inside was a simple beaded bracelet. It had the letters M and L in the centre separated by a little red heart. Lilly remembers Miley making it for her after she lost the one Lilly gave her for good luck. That had been the night Lilly found out that Miley, her best friend, was Hannah Montana. She took the bracelet out of its box and looped it over her fingers. She ran her thumb over each of the beads in turn, fishing through the box of memories in front of her. Birthday cards; spanning seven years. A teddy; to keep Lilly company in hospital after a breaking a leg skateboarding. Hannah and Lola dolls; Lilly had been thrilled when she saw them and mucked about with Miley during the photo shoot. A single red rose; it's ok to give your best friend a Valentine. Quickly Lilly realised that it wasn't a box of junk. It was a treasure chest and it had taken a rough journey to find it again.

A knock at the door jerked Lilly from memory lane and she quickly stood up, piling everything back in the box. She made her way downstairs and hesitated before opening the door. A jolt in her stomach predicted who would be outside.

"Hey Lils…" Miley stood on her porch, wringing her hands nervously. She looked as stunning as ever. Her chestnut curls were longer, almost to her waist and she had grown slightly taller and curvier. Her face was thinner but her eyes were the same as ever. Blue as the ocean and just as deep.

"Hey." Lilly stood staring at her for a while before she stepped aside, gesturing to the house. "You'd better come in."

"Thanks." She gave Lilly a tiny smile before stepping inside and quickly admiring the house. "Wow… ya did it then."

"Yeah, I said I would." The blonde didn't know what to do so she stared at the floor, examining the wood grain. It wasn't until she felt Miley's eyes running over her that she looked up. "Why did you forget me?"

"Wha-." The question was frank and it unbalanced the other girl. She saw the pain in her old friend's eyes so clearly that she felt her own heart ache. "I never meant to Lils. Ya gotta believe that I never wanted to, I just got so caught up in Hannah that I forgot who I really was. I forgot what was important to me."

"Did you even think to call me? To explain that you couldn't make it? I waited on the beach for three hours Miley! Even afterwards you didn't call." Lilly's eyes blazed angrily.

"Lilly, I text-." Tears are brimming in the brunette's eyes.

"A text is all I was worth?! I can't believe you Miley."

"I couldn't bear to see ya okay. I couldn't bring myself to say hello when it would hurt so much to say goodbye again. I was hurtin' Lils." Tears slowly dripped from the girls cheeks and smashed like glass on the wooden floor.

"You think I wasn't? You were the one person I thought I could count on but you broke me Miley, you broke me." Part of Lilly hates that she is the one causing Miley's tears but a bigger part thinks she deserves it.

"Lilly I'm sorry! Why do ya think I wrote ya those songs? I dedicated concerts to you, I pleaded for ya to come back to me but ya never did." Miley takes a step closer, her eyes boring into Lilly's.

"What are you on about? I never-."

"The radio, magazines, MTV… Hannah tried everythin' because Miley ran out of ideas."

"I never, I- I don't listen to the radio anymore…" Lilly's brain is screaming at her for being so stupid.

"Ya cut me off didn't ya? Ya didn't want to risk seein' me even if it was as Hannah." She is still crying but there is a glimmer of something else in her watery eyes. Hope?

"It hurt too much."

"Hannah needed Lola, and I needed you Lilly. I still do."

Miley barely has time to blink before Lilly throws herself into her arms. The pair sink into each other, squeezing so tightly they will be bruised. They manage to fall onto the couch; a mass of clutching hands, salty happiness and sobbed apologies.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: Ok I'm done teasing you guys. Like I said these chapters make take a while due to my smushed fingers but I promise you they will be longer =]

Thanks for the reviews; I can't believe this story has 60 now. You lot are ace!

R & R my lovelies

Disclaimer: I don't own Hannah Montana much to my dismay and the song is 'like a knife' by Secondhand Serenade.

Fate

Lilly swore loudly as she burnt herself on the frying pan trying to tip scrambled eggs onto a plate. She grabbed a tea towel and wrapped it around her hand as she tried again, this time with fewer obscenities. The toast shot out of the toaster and she quickly lent over to grab it, putting the empty frying pan into the sink as she went. The edge of her tea towel caught alight on the stove. She didn't notice until her hand got a little too warm.

"AH CRAP!" She sprang towards the sink and stuck her now flaming hand under the cold flow of water. It hissed menacingly and Lilly let out a sigh of relief. A giggle made her spin around, splashing water down herself.

"Morning Lils." Miley smiled at her cheerfully as she lent against the doorway.

"Um morning, how long have you been there?" The blonde unwrapped her hand, which was fine much to her surprise, and threw the blackened tea towel into the bin.

"A while… I never knew makin' breakfast could be so dangerous." She giggled again as Lilly blushed and glared at her.

"Yeah well, I'm never that awake in the morning. You know that." Lilly placed the still steaming plates of scrambled eggs on toast on the table and gestured for Miley to sit down. She did so and Lilly took a few seconds to marvel at her friend. How could she look so unruffled after falling asleep with her on the couch after hours of talking?

"Thanks, I could eat a cow." The brunette started to eat and raised her eyebrows in surprise as she swallowed. "Wow these eggs are amazin', when did ya learn to cook?"

"University, living on your own makes you learn things pretty quickly. Glad you like them." Lilly ate too, only getting up to pour them both a glass of orange juice.

"How was university? I bet ya loved it."

"Oh Miles it was amazing! I mean the course was hard at first but I really got into it. The nightlife wasn't too bad either." She shot Miley a cheeky grin and she laughed.

"I guess it did ya good to get away from Malibu." Miley gave her a small smile.

"Yeah, I guess I just needed a chance to make it on my own. Get away from my mother. I haven't seen her in three years, she moved to San Francisco with her boss."

"I'm sorry Lil, I know ya never really got on. Did ya ever want to go see her?"

"No, to be honest I'm glad. She always disapproved of me anyway. I wasn't her perfect little beauty queen and when I left that was it; she didn't have to pretend to care anymore." Lilly bit her lip and willed the lump in her throat to melt as Miley took her hand gently. She opened her mouth to speak but Lilly cut her off. "So how has Hannah been? I bet she's still as hot as ever."

"Um…" Miley gave her a strange look.

"On the charts I mean." She blushed at her foul up and Miley giggled.

"Yer she's still goin' strong. She went through a rough patch after, well… after Lola left but people seemed to like her more mature side. Everyone missed Lola." She gave Lilly's hand a quick squeeze as she stood up and washed their plates.

"What did you say happened?" Lilly asks her quietly, talking about the past doesn't hurt as much but it feels wrong.

"I said I'd been a lousy friend and Lola had left. I got a lot of hate mail for a month or so after. I know I deserved it. After a while I guess they knew that I was sorry, they saw how miserable I was and it stopped." Miley dried her hands off and turned to face Lilly.

"Well Lola hasn't been quite the same since. None of it matters though because here we are. As strange and as crazy as it sounds, I think this was always the way it was going to turn out."

"Ya think?"

"Yeah, otherwise it's wayyy too much of a coinkidink." They shared a smile before Lilly stood up. "Listen, I've got a few business calls to make but how about we do something later?"

"Sure, how about I make us dinner? Gives us a chance to talk some more."

"Perfect, so I'll see you around...?"

"Seven, at my place. The big white house. I'll leave the gate open for ya."

"All right, see you then." Lilly waved as Miley walked down her path and onto the street, her curls bouncing. She closed the door, glancing at the clock. 2:13 PM. She stretched and made her way upstairs to her room. She walked past the box of Miley-related stuff she had left on the floor and grabbed her phone from the nightstand. She launched herself onto her bed and dialled the number for Orchard's publishing offices. It answered on the fourth ring.

"Hello Vivian its Lilly Truscott. How are you? Good, I'm great thanks. Can I speak to Miss Ince please? Yeah I'll hold…"

Two hours and three phone calls later, Lilly was lounging in her bathtub. The hot water was relaxing her muscles which were aching from spending the night awkwardly curled up on the couch. She stared at the ceiling as she replayed the last 24 hours in her head. She had seen Miley again for the first time in five years, cried and ran, found a box of memories, seen Miley again, cried, made up with Miley, cried and then set herself alight making breakfast. It had all happened ridiculously fast but that's just the way things were with Lilly. She had never been the tortoise, always the hare. She also truly believed what she had said to Miley earlier; this was always the way it was meant to be. Why else would fate have brought them together again after five years? Clearly their friendship was something that was supposed to be permanent; like a bad tattoo you get when you're drunk.

Her phone rang and Lilly stretched over to the chair next to the tub to pick it up.

"Hello, Lilly Truscott."

"Hey Lilly, its Ryan. Ya ok? Ya worried me when ya ran out on me yesterday."

"Oh Ryan I'm sorry! I didn't mean to leave you like that but seeing Miley really threw me."

"Miley… the gal who owns the flash house. How do ya know her?"

"We went to high school together back in Malibu. We were best friends for seven years before I left for university. We tried to keep in touch but it just fell apart."

"No wonder ya ran. Have you spoken to her? I tried to calm her down in the diner but she just hot tailed it after ya."

"Yeah she came over last night. We talked things over and I actually think we're ok now."

"Jesus that was darn quick. Way I figured it, you were so upset it'd take a miracle to put a smile on that face of yours."

"I guess fate had another idea. It's crazy but I really do think we'll be ok. I'm sorry for running out on you; I promise I'll make it up to you."

"Don't ya worry ya pretty little head, I'm just glad it all worked out. Anyway I gotta get to work. Bye."

"Bye Ryan." Lilly threw her phone back onto the chair before climbing out of the tub and drying herself off. She hummed tunelessly as she wandered into her room and began to rummage through her closet. It was only diner with Miley but Lilly wanted to make an effort so she decided on a red summer dress with a pair of flats. She flicked on her stereo and paused, her fingers lingering over the radio switch. Shrugging to herself she flicked it and tuned the radio into the local station. Guitars and banjos welcomed her back to the airwaves and Lilly smiled as she started to dance around her room, getting herself ready for dinner with Miley. She was just applying her waterproof mascara when her ears pricked.

"Well ya'll that was Tim McGraw with Red Ragtop. Now we've got an oldie from one of our home grown gals, Hannah Montana with Like A Knife." Lilly turned to the stereo as the song started up; it was much more sober than the Hannah she remembered.

"I did a lot; I know you say  
I've got to get away.  
"The world is not yours for the taking"  
Is all you ever say.  
I know I'm not the best for you,  
But promise that you'll stay.  
'Cause if I watch you go,  
You'll see me wasting, you'll see me wasting away

'Cause today, you walked out of my life  
'Cause today, your words felt like a knife  
I'm not living this life.

Goodbyes are meant for lonely people standing in the rain  
And no matter where I go it's always pouring all the same.  
These streets are filled with memories  
Both good and in pain  
And all I wanna do is love you  
But I'm the only one to blame.

'Cause today, you walked out of my life  
'Cause today, your words felt like a knife  
I'm not living this life.

But what do I know; if you're leaving  
All you did was stop the bleeding.  
But these scars will stay forever,  
These scars will stay forever  
And these words have no meaning  
If we cannot find the feeling  
That we held on to together  
Try your hardest to remember

Stay with me,  
Or watch me bleed,  
I need you just to breathe.  
'Cause today, you walked out of my life  
(stay with me, or watch me bleed)  
'Cause today, your words felt like a knife  
(I need you just to breathe.)  
I'm not living this life"

The last note rang out and as Lilly sat there thoughtfully the radio presenter's voice came over the speakers.

"Hannah Montana - Like A Knife. It's an oldie but we love it. It was written after her spat with her pal Lola. As always, if you heard that Lola give the gal a call, she's been waitin' long enough. Now we have The Mavericks with 'There Goes My Heart' enjoy folks."

Slowly Lilly turned back to her mirror and picked up her hair brush. As she ran it through her hair her mind wandered. So that was one of the songs Miley had written for her. It was an amazing song, if Lilly had heard it she would have probably given her a call and things would have been sorted out much sooner. For the second time she chastised herself for being so stubborn and stupid. She finished brushing her hair and stood to admire herself in the full length mirror. Her summer dress came to her knees and was both casual and elegant. Lilly smiled as she grabbed her purse and flicked off the radio before heading towards town.

The late summer sun warmed Lilly's bare shoulders as she made her way to the liquor store to pick up a bottle of wine to accompany dinner. She waved to Katy, the girl who worked there, and made her way along the rows of bottles. She stopped in front of the shelf of pricier vintage wine. Red or white. Red or white? Lilly didn't know which Miley preferred, the last she could remember the girl had only ever drank once with her and Oliver at one of Jake's parties. It certainly hadn't been wine that time. She decided to play it safe and buy a bottle of rosé. She made her way to the counter and paid for it before heading towards Miley's.

True to her word Miley had left the huge wrought iron gate open for Lilly. The blonde still felt as though she shouldn't be there as she crunched up the gravel driveway, admiring the flowers and the fountain as she went. She stopped just short of the front door to marvel at the size of the place before stepping up and pressing the door bell. She heard it chime throughout the house. She barely had time to smooth her dress down before Miley swung the door open. She was wearing an apron which was decorated with splashes of a mysterious sauce.

"Lilly! Come on in, I'm just finishin' up in the kitchen." She stood to the side and motioned the blonde inside.

"Hey Miles, sorry I'm a little early. Woah…" Lilly's eye went wide as saucers as she saw the interior of the house.

They were standing in the hall which was big enough to house a herd of elephants quite comfortably. A massive spiral staircase swept down the right side of the room, stopping by a doorway. As Lilly walked further into the house she could see a piano through the open door. To the left side of the hall was another door, which was closed. Lilly's eyes were drawn to the ceiling where a huge chandelier hung from the top floor. Her kitten heels clicked on the marble floor as she hurried to catch up with Miley who had disappeared down the hall. She passed several paintings of both countryside and beaches before she turned a corner and found herself in a large, bright kitchen. Miley was over by the expensive looking stove, singing softly to herself. She caught Lilly's eye and smiled. The blonde felt something swell in her chest.

"So, I hope you like pasta." She wiped her hands on her apron.

"Of course, I practically lived on it when I was a student." She grinned at Miley.

"Thank god, because I can't cook much else." The brunette chuckled and pulled her dirty apron off.

"I'll have to give you lessons." Lilly put the bottle down on the counter.

"I think I'd like that…" They shared a shy smile. "Dinner will be a while yet, do ya want to sit outside?"

"Sure, I brought wine. I think we should crack it open." Lilly gestured to the bottle on the counter.

"Ya didn't need to do that Lil, but I think we should." Miley grabbed two glasses and a corkscrew before leading Lilly out of the French doors and onto a large veranda. It was easily double the size of Lilly's back porch and it had a hot tub sunk into the right hand corner. They sat on the ornate chairs and Miley gave Lilly the bottle to open. As the cork popped Miley gave a small cheer and Lilly laughed. They sipped and settled down comfortably.

"So, did you get all your calls done?" Miley looked at Lilly curiously.

"Yeah, it didn't take that long to be honest." She sipped her wine.

"What exactly do you do Lils?"

"Well, I used to work for ABC film as a director and I wrote two of my own films." Lilly smiled at Miley's surprise. "But I just wasn't into it anymore. I sent a copy of a novel I'd been working on to Orchard Publishers. They offered me a contract and here we are."

"Jesus Lils! That's great! So like, when is ya book out?"

"Tomorrow actually. That's what the call was about, I have to do some interviews and stuff in a month."

"Wow… so what is it about?" Miley turns herself so she is completely facing Lilly and leans closer.

"Well it's called 'Unlucky' and it's about this guy who lives in New York. Basically he has this perfect life but breaks a mirror and everything goes completely wrong. He ends up living in a grotty little flat, working at a takeaway and that's it. It's pretty depressing but I promise it's better than it sounds! It's quite funny really, if that makes any sense at all."

"So it ends with him depressed?"

"Yeah, I have an idea for a sequel. Like, the girl who gets his job used to live in a grotty little flat and work in a takeaway. But she gets his job and her life just gets better and better. They meet and fall in love. Happy ending."

"Well that would certainly be interesting. You should call it 'Lucky'." Miley chuckled.

"Y'know I think I will." Lilly grinned at her friend before finishing her wine. "I was listening to the radio before, for the first time in five years."

"Oh?" Miley looked at her cautiously, she knew what Lilly was going to say.

"I heard one of Hannah's songs. 'Like a knife' I think it was called. It was amazing Miles, and then the radio guy told Lola to give you a call if she'd heard it."

"Yer, I told the whole country to say that if they ever played one of my songs. I hoped it would work but it didn't." Miley sipped her wine slowly.

"Well, if I'd have heard it, I would have been on the phone like a shot Miles." Lilly gave Miley's hand a gentle squeeze. "But I totally think you should tell people that Lola is back and they don't have to give that little speech anymore."

"Is Lola really back Lils?" Miley tightened her grip on Lilly's hand as their eyes met.

"Lilly is, so I guess Lola wont be far behind."

Miley stood up and pulled Lilly with her. She wrapped her in a quick hug before leading her by the hand to the kitchen. "Good. Now come on, let's eat."


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Sorry it's taken forever for me to update but I moved flat. I hate moving it's so stressful. Anyway I'd just like to thank everyone who has stuck with this story despite the fact it has taken a while to get going. I have a lot of fun things planned for Lilly and Miley and I hope you enjoy reading as much as I'm enjoying writing it.

Read and review please my lovelies!

Disclaimer: Not mine.

Fate

"Ryan, where are we going?"

"We'll be there in a sec; you'd best not be peekin' missy!"

"I'm not!"

Lilly's eyelashes fluttered against the bandana Ryan had used as a blindfold and she felt her chest hitch in excitement. His hand on her arm gently tugged her to the left as they changed direction. She had spent the day in her garden with a bottle of wine and the radio on relaxing and had been a bit disappointed that Ryan or Miley hadn't called to say hello. Today her first novel had been released and although she was extremely proud of herself she would have liked to celebrate with her friends. By 5:30 PM Lilly had gotten a shower and was considering her DVD collection when, at last, Ryan had knocked on her door. He hadn't told her what was happening but had forced her to go and put something pretty on before blindfolding her and leading her off down the street. Lilly wondered what the folks in town had though when they'd seen the pair of them and she giggled. As if he had read her mind Ryan chuckled too as he turned them left again and Lilly's feet crunched onto gravel. She heard a muffled chattering as they continued and the splashing of water. Lilly knew where they were. She heard a door open and a familiar husky laugh as she was lead forward. The chattering fell silent and hands fiddled with her blindfold. It came away and Lilly blinked at the light.

"SURPRISE!"

A sea of smiling faces greeted Lilly and a grin spilt her face. She was standing on Miley's back porch looking out over her garden, which was packed with most of the towns folk. There were paper lanterns and fairy lights strung up around the huge garden and a marquee to the right which housed tables of food and drink. A small stage stood beneath a banner which said "Congratulations Lilly!" and a band were tuning up. Lilly's eyes were as round a saucers as she turned to see her favourite pair of eyes looking back at her.

"Miles… you did all this for me?"

"Well, Ryan and a lot of the others helped." She gestured towards Big Mo, Earl and a few others but they way Miley smiled told Lilly that it had been her idea.

"Thank you! Thank you so much!" She hugged the brunette tightly before turning towards Ryan. "You! You are so sneaky! Thank you." She buried her face in his chest as she held him and felt him chuckle.

"That's alright darlin'. Now how about we get this party goin'?!"

A loud cheer erupted from the crowd as the band started up again and everyone started enjoying themselves. Lilly found herself being congratulated by a number of people before Miley pulled her over to the drink table. They both got glasses of wine before Ryan and his friend Hank came over.

"Hey now ladies, don't ya'll be drinkin' that swill!" Hank reached for a bottle of Jack Daniels and smirked. "Drink up ladies, then ya'll can have a proper drink with me and my boy here."

"Come one, ain't no way they'll drink JD. Even I think the stuff tastes foul." Ryan wrinkled his nose as Hank ignored him and shoved a cup his way. The dark amber liquid filled a good two inches from the bottom. "Jesus that's not a shot!"

"That's my size shot. Here ya are ladies." Hank handed the girls a cup which they took with no expression. He took that as a sign of apprehension and grinned evilly. "On the count of three, one… two… three!"

The four of them threw back their cups and slammed the empties onto the table, which shook. Ryan's face was twisted in a grimace and Hank shook his head like a dog. The girls just grinned at each other as they wiped their lips with the back of their hands. The familiar alcohol had burnt the back of Lilly's throat but it was not unpleasant.

"Woo-ee! That's better!" Seeing the girls' faces he raised an eyebrow. "Hey now, did ya'll swallow it?"

"Of course, Jack and I are old friends." Lilly grinned at Ryan who started to laugh.

"Hey now, what kinda cowgirl would I be if I didn't know how to shoot my whiskey?" Miley's eyes glittered at Hanks shocked expression. It didn't take long for him to recover.

"Well now ladies, I say we need a few more!" He grabbed the bottle and unscrewed the top. Three more rounds later and the quartet were out dancing. The band were kicking it up a notch and playing some upbeat foot-stomping songs. Pretty soon everyone had found partners and were kicking their boots wildly. Lilly was laughing at Ryan, who was doing a perfectly synced routine with Hank and a few of the other cowboys, when Miley grabbed her hand.

"Come with me a sec."

They weaved their way through the crowd and headed inside. Lilly was just about to ask where they were going when Miley led her up the spiral staircase and pulled her into a room. She let go of Lilly's hand and walked over to a little table. The blonde's eyes wandered around the room; taking in the four poster bed, the fluffy purple rug and the wall cluttered with framed pictures. Her eyes roamed over the glass as she saw pictures of Miley's family, one of her and Oliver and finally one of the pair of them. It was a picture Lilly had never seen before; in it she and Miley were leaning very close to each other, they were smiling softly and their eyes were locked. Lilly brought her eyes away from their clasped hands and recognised the dress she was wearing. It was graduation night. Once again her eyes were drawn to their faces and she started to wonder what the look in their eyes was. A hand on her shoulder made her turn and all questions died on her lips as Miley smiled at her.

"Here, I figured I could get the author to sign this." She held out a copy of Lilly's book and the blonde noticed a bookmark a quarter of the way in.

"Oh, um sure Miles. Do you have a pen?" She was flustered by her friend's request.

"I thought we might need one of those…" She handed Lilly a thin wrapped box.

"For me?" The brunette nodded and Lilly carefully opened it. Inside there was a beautiful cherry red fountain pen lying on the box's silk lining. Her initials were engraved into the silver clip and she gasped softly, her eyes snapping to her old friends. "Thank you Miles."

"You're welcome Lils, now how about that autograph?" Lilly obliged, carefully writing _'Miles, I'm lucky to have found you. Love, Lils xx'_, before she hugged her cowgirl tightly.

As they made their way downstairs a few minutes later, Lilly's pen tucked safely in her blouse pocket, they were met by Ryan, Hank and a round of drinks. They took the cold beers and drifted with them over to a crowd from the diner.

"You're crazy if you think the Blackhawks are gonna beat us this year!" A guy in a green shirt was saying loudly.

"Look Al, I don't like it anymore than ya do but the Predators aren't doin' so good lately. The Chicago Blackhawks have a killer attack." Miley turned away from the guy who was speaking to roll her eyes at Lilly. She knew full well that the blonde was about to jump in.

"Well I don't know fellas, I think it'll be the Rangers this year. They thrashed the Blackhawks last season." Both men looked at her in amusement.

"Ya know hockey?" Al said with a smile.

"Ya bet she does! Used to gnaw my ear off yappin' about it." Miley gave Lilly a playful nudge as the blonde pouted.

"Hey! You never complained! But yeah, I know hockey and I know the Rangers are going to thrash the Blackhawks AND the Predators. Sorry fellas."

"Ya know much about it Miley?" Ryan sipped his beer and looked at her curiously.

"Do I heck! Lils dragged me to a game once and I was bored senseless. I even tried to play once, remember that Lils?"

"How could I forget? You KO'd yourself about three minutes in. It was like watching Bambi on ice." They all laughed as Miley thumped Lilly on the arm.

"I only did it to spend time with ya and ya go and laugh at me!" She pouted and crossed her arms moodily.

"Aw, come on Miles…" Lilly nudged the brunette repeatedly until she smiled. "That's my girl! Why don't we go dance, I fancy some boot stompin'!"

They snaked their way towards the stage as the band started up another song. Lilly stood next to Miley and tried to mimic her steps but her feet moved to fast. Lilly stumbled and Miley laughed as she grabbed her hand. She slowed down a little and Lilly finally managed a few simple steps. Stomp left, right, back, kick, twist…

"_You can have a lot of fun in a New York minute but there's some things you can't do inside those city limits…" _

The pair sang along at the top of their voices as the repeated the steps. Lilly finally got fed up and added a few of her own. Stomp left, slide right, back, big-fish-little-fish-cardboard-box, kick, twist…

"Ya crazy Lils!" Miley laughed and joined in with Lilly's new and improved version.

"Don't you know it cowgirl! YEEHAW!" As the song finished they headed for the drink table, a little short of breath from their crazy dancing, and Miley sloped off leaving Lilly with Ryan.

"Havin' fun?" He picked up a beer and uncapped it.

"Yeah! I can't thank you and Miley enough for this, it's brilliant." Her eyes glittered with excitement as Ryan took in her flushed features.

"Figured you deserved to celebrate. Besides, any excuse for a knees up!" They chuckled and made their way to the front of the crowd as Miley appeared on stage.

"Hey folks! Sorry to interrupt but I think we've got a toast to make! Grab your drinks and Lilly get your butt up here!" Lilly blushed as she made her way up the steps onto the small stage. She eyed Ryan and Miley evilly. "Lilly Truscott everybody!" The crowd cheered and Lilly smiled nervously at the sea of faces. "Ya'll got a drink? Good. So let's raise them for Lilly Truscott, our new celebrity! Congratulations Lils. To Lilly!" The crowd echoed the last two words and swigged from their drinks. A chant started up.

"Speech! Speech! Speech!"

"Ok, ok!" Lilly took the microphone with shaky hands and wet her lips. "I'd just like to thank you all for making tonight so special and for making me so welcome ever since I moved here. I'd especially like to thank Ryan who has been my rock these past few months and has taught me how to grow sunflowers, which is a big thing 'cause I've never been able to grow anything before." The crowd chuckled and Ryan beamed up at her. "A big thank you to the band; who have been amazing! I think we all agree with that one. Lastly I'd like to thank Miley. For those of you who don't know, Miley and I go wayyy back. We used to go to high school together in Malibu and she was the reason I first saw this town when I was sixteen. I hadn't seen her in years until a few days ago and I know now that we weren't supposed to grow apart." Lilly turned to Miley who smiled. "It means so much to me that you're here Miles, I've got my best friend back and I'm not letting you go again." A tear slipped down Miley's cheek and Lilly swallowed the lump in her throat. "Thank you everyone, now let's party!" The crowd cheered as Lilly pulled Miley into a hug and the band started playing again. They stepped off the stage and laughed, wiping each others tears away.

"I'm not letting you go either Lils." Miley grabbed Lilly's hand and tugged her into the crowd to dance. She held on tightly as they moved; their hair flying out around them, streaked with red as the last of the summer sun sank behind the hills.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Onwards and upwards…

Disclaimer: I own Hannah Montana… on DVD. *sigh* The quote at the very end is from The X-Files: Fight The Future. I love it.

Fate

Something exploded next to Lilly's cheek, startling her from her deep sleep. She jerked an arm free of her duvet, squinting crankily against the light streaming through her window. Her phone exploded again, vibrating viciously against her cheek and rattling her brain inside her skull. Her fingers found it and scrabbled for the call button. Her index finger stabbed it hard and she closed her eyes again as she adjusted her position.

"Hello?" Her voice was scratchy, as though she'd gargled sawdust.

"Jesus Lilly, are you okay? You sound like crap." The voice on the other end sound far too chirpy for Lilly's ears and she growled.

"Shut up Nikki."

"Oooh well good morning to you too sunshine! It's nearly eleven, why aren't you up yet?"

"I had a late night." Lilly licked her lips and snuggled into her pillow, the phone still to her free ear.

"Ooh gimme the details. You know the drill."

"Well Ryan and Miley threw me a party at her place. Pretty much everyone was there. There was a band and a lot of Jack Daniels." The blondes head pounded at the memory despite the smile that tugged at the corner of her mouth.

"Miley? Who's Miley? Oh my god! The Miley you talk about every time you've had a few too many Sambucas?!" The curiosity in Nikki's voice had reached its peak. Lilly could almost imagine her pushing her phone harder against her ear, to get the gossip quicker.

"Yea- what? I don't talk about her. I've never told you about her!" Even as she protests Lilly knows that it's a lie.

"Then how do I know who she is eh genius? Every time you drink too much you get all soppy and start rambling on about her. Brunette curls, big blue eyes..?" Lilly can hear the smirk in Nikki's voice, she knows she's won.

"Yeah…"

"Told you. The party was at her place? You mean she lives in Beech Creek?"

"Yeah, she certainly does. I thought I'd gone crazy when I saw her." She rolled onto her back, blinking the sleep out of her eyes.

"You trying to tell me you didn't know she lived there?" There is disbelief in her voice.

"I swear I didn't. It was crazy. She just appeared in the diner three days ago and I found out she lived in this big white house that we saw when we were sixteen. Y'know when I saw my old ranch… She'd been out of town." Lilly's fingers absentmindedly trace the pattern on her duvet.

"Jesus, that's just weird Lilly. I mean, what are the chances? So you saw her and just forgave her and now your best buds again?"

"Well no. I ran off at first but then later when it'd sunk in she came over and we talked. I think we'll be ok now. Things feel almost like they used to."

"Just as long as she doesn't hurt you again. I'll have to give her the once over when I visit." She giggles and Lilly knows she is joking.

"Did you get your tickets?"

"Yes siree! Joel and I will be down in two days to lasso cowboys. Anyway I gotta go, I have a hair appointment."

"A hair appointment?"

"Well I wouldn't want you to think I was letting myself go because I missed you or anything. Later honey." She giggled and blew air kisses down the phone.

"Bye Nik."

Lilly ended the call and threw her phone down on the bed. She lay on her back staring at the ceiling, studying the grain of the wooden support beams that held the roof up. Her stomach rumbled noisily, asking for attention, and she forced herself to get out of her warm bed. The autumn sun splashed patterns over her floor as she padded over to the door wondering why she forgot to close the curtains the night before. She decided it must have been something to do with the four double JD's and three beers she had drunk. Her head throbbed its agreement and she wobbled down the stairs and out of her front door to collect the mail. The chilly air whipped at her unbrushed hair and her arms tingled with gooseflesh. There were only two letters which she opened as she shut the door and went into the kitchen. Bills. She threw them down on the counter as she made herself some coffee and peanut butter toast. The homely smell followed her through to the living room where she dropped onto the sofa and turned the TV on. As she sipped her coffee she flicked through the channels. The news boasted of its exclusive footage; Michael Jackson's ghost spotted in Walmart. Discovery Channel was showing a whale autopsy; Lilly's stomach churned. The Spongebob marathon on Nickelodeon stopped Lilly's thumb in its tracks. She munched her toast as she indulged her inner child, giggling at the well dressed sponge's antics. Crumbs peppered her pyjamas but she didn't notice as her eyes were glued to the screen. Three hours of kiddie cartoons later and Lilly was still sprawled on the sofa. Her phone rang, rattling her empty plate on the coffee table.

"Hello?" Her green-blue eyes settled once again in the TV.

"Hello, Miss Truscott?" The voice sounded crisp and vaguely familiar to Lilly.

"Yeah, speaking." On screen Spongebob and Patrick were singing loudly.

"Ah Miss Truscott, it's Miss Ince from Orchard."

"Oh!" Lilly sat upright and hastily turned the volume down on the TV. "How are you?"

"Fine thank you. I imagine you were out celebrating last night?"

"I certainly was and I'm paying for it now." They shared a chuckle before the publisher got to business.

"Well I'm sure it was worth it. I just called to congratulate you and to let you know that the initial sales of your book have surpassed what we estimated."

"Really? Wow, that's brilliant!" Lilly grinned at her coffee mug and ran a hand through her tangled hair.

"It certainly is; which is why we would like you to consider doing a talk show at the end of the month. We've already been approached by Tyra Banks and of course, I said I would talk to you. It would be the 27th, you'd only need to be in Los Angeles that day."

"Yeah that sounds excellent. Please tell her I'd love to be on her show."

"I shall contact her, I'll give you the details when they're finalised. Anyway, enjoy your day and once again, congratulations."

"Thank you, take care. Goodbye." She ended the call and promptly jumped up to do a happy dance, kneeing the coffee table in the process. She barely had time to curse and nurse it as her phone rang once again.

"Jesus, it's the Lilly hotline…" She gave her knee one last rub as she answered. "Hello?"

"Hey Lils how's ya head?" Miley's voice sounded a little croaky.

"It feels like someone scrambled my brain, how about you?" She settled back onto her sofa and pulled a cushion into her lap.

"They scrambled mine too. I think I'm goin' to eat junk food and watch Scrubs re-runs."

"Sounds like a plan. Thanks again for last night, I had so much fun."

"Don't mention it Lils, it's the least I could do. Anyway I called to ask you somethin'."

"Oh, ok shoot."

"D'ya want to come visit Crowley with me tomorrow? Daddy and Jackson would love to see you… but its ok if you don't want to." She hastily added the last bit and Lilly smiled.

"I'd love to. It'll be nice to see them, it's a good thing they're visiting your Mamaw."

"Oh they're not visitin' Lils. They live there. Daddy moved down a month after I moved here and Jackson did after he finished college."

"Well I guess I'm not surprised." She grinned into the phone as Miley laughed.

"So I'll pick you up around ten tomorrow then?"

"Sure thing."

"Great! Right, I gotta go. I've got a date with my duvet. Bye Lils."

"See ya Miles." She hung up and put the phone back on the table. A flurry of excitement stirred in her chest as she thought of tomorrow. She wondered what Mr S and Jackson would be like. Would they recognise her? Had Miley told them she was coming? Before her excitement turned to nerves she distracted herself by putting a pizza in the oven and running upstairs to get her own duvet. She didn't put Scrubs on, she found her boxset of The X-Files and put the first movie in the DVD player. The title music echoed throughout the house as she sliced up her cooked pizza and grabbed a can of root beer from the refrigerator. She settled down on the sofa and pressed play. She watched avidly as she ate, her tongue darting out to catch a string of stray cheese. On screen Mulder looked at Scully curiously as she spoke.

"_One day, you look at the person and see more than you did the day before."_


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: Sorry this has taken so long to post, blame university. Thank you for your reviews! I can't believe this story has so many, it's mental! Anyway, let's see how the other Stewarts are doing shall we?

Oh yer, so in the story the Hannah Montana movie did happen. However, Miley didn't go to the waterfall with Travis. Everything else happened the same apart from that, mainly because I want to steal the idea lol

R & R please =]

Disclaimer: Not mine but I have just put up a rather awesome poster of Lola in my uni room. I am so cool lol =P

Fate

Crowley Corners had not changed since Lilly's last visit, six years previous. The local market once again lay in the shadow of the town hall, bustling with people buying and selling. Miley waved at a guy on an egg stall as they drove past in her purple sports car. It stood out like sore thumb in the small rural town yet no one batted an eyelid. Miley and her car were a fact of life; she visited often, choosing to stay with her family rather than in her own beautiful, empty house. Lilly smiled as they drove past the diner where she and Miley had discovered the wonders of rocky road ice cream. She remembered eating the stuff until she felt like it would start coming out of her ears. Miley had just laughed at her discomfort, blaming it on her ridiculous appetite. _"You've got eyes bigger than ya belly Lils."_ She had said as Lilly glared at her. They turned onto the lane that led up to Miley's family ranch and Lilly braced herself. She could vividly remember being tossed around in Mr S's pick-up truck as it hit the crater-sized potholes. She had no idea how Miley's car made it over them unscathed. They took the sharp bend carefully and approached the wooden gate that led to the farm. Miley slowed the car as she drove over the cattle grid in front of the open gate, Lilly felt her seat vibrate with each bar. They made it over and drove up the gentle slope, the Stewart's farm greeting them. It was twice the size of Lilly's own ranch, the rooftop level with the five surrounding oak trees. It was old, built around 1900 but the paint was fresh. Lilly guessed that Miley's Mamaw had it painted at the beginning of summer, no doubt by the Stewart men. Miley pulled her car up past the vegetable patch and parked next to a Chevy and a truck that was undeniably made from parts of at least four others. Lilly eyed Frankenstein's Motor as she got out and followed Miley to the front door. They had barely made it to the porch steps when a woman threw open the door and let out a shriek.

"Miley! My Miley! It's so good to see ya sweet pea." The woman was short; her hair greying at the temples but her smile was striking.

"Mamaw!" Miley smiled and Lilly could see the family resemblance. She stood awkwardly as the two hugged until a second voice interrupted.

"Miles, what are ya doin' here bud? Not that I ain't glad to see ya!" Robbie Ray Stewart walked down the porch steps, he hadn't changed a bit. He wrapped his arms around his daughter.

"Hey daddy, sorry I didn't call to let ya'll know we we're comin'." She stepped back from the hug and Robbie Ray swept his hair back into place.

"We..?" With that all eyes turned to Lilly, finally seeing her standing there looking apprehensively back at them.

"Hi Mr S, Mrs Stewart…" She smiled shakily, fearing they wouldn't recognise her. After three agonising seconds, recognition flashed in Robbie Ray's eyes.

"Lilly?" He looked shocked, his eyebrows trying to disappear in his hairline.

"The one and only…" She trailed off, quickly shooting him a cheeky grin before rubbing her arm nervously.

"My god…" He stepped forward smiling broadly. "Get in these arms kiddo."

Lilly didn't need to be asked twice. Relief swept through her as she was pulled against Robbie Ray's chest. She closed her eyes briefly, remembering his smell and feeling a rush of happiness. It had been horrible not having Miley in her life but she had missed Miley's family too. Mr S was more of a father to her than her own had ever been. When she stepped back Mrs Stewart hugged her too. She smelled like lavender and cookies, just like she had all those years ago when Lilly came to visit.

"Hey now sugar, it's good to see ya again. Ya know… I just made some cookies, if ya appetites anything like it used to be I should've made more." They chuckled and Lilly turned to Miley who was smiling warmly.

"Why don't we all head inside? I could do with a cup of coffee and I sure wouldn't mind one of those cookies momma." Robbie Ray ushered the three women inside. Miley and Lilly sat at the kitchen table while Mrs Stewart brought the cookies over and put the kettle on.

"So Lilly, how are ya?"

"I'm good thanks Mr S, how about you?" She clasped her hands together in her lap.

"Well I'm just fine. How come ya here in Tennessee?" He looked confused.

"I live in Beech Creek, I moved about a month ago. I had no idea Miley lived there and well we just kinda bumped into each other." Lilly jiggled her knee nervously.

"Yeah it was a bit of a shock. But we talked and I asked her if she wanted to come visit ya'll with me." Miley added, smiling. She noticed Lilly's leg bouncing and laid a hand on her knee under the table. Lilly jumped in her seat and her eyes darted to Miley, who raised an eyebrow. She got the message and stopped moving her leg. Miley's hand stayed. Her fingers gently squeezed Lilly's knee once.

"Well that's one helluva coincidence but I'm glad you're here. You were a part of the family and I know that things went wrong between you two but I sure am glad you seem to have worked it out." Robbie Ray gave them both a grin before picking up a cookie and biting into it.

"I'll say! Miley here never shut up about ya, then when you two stopped talking well… let's just say ya were missed." Mrs Stewart placed the mugs of coffee on the table.

"Mamaw…" Miley gave her grandmother a warning look, which she ignored.

"What? All I'm saying is it's about time you two made up, maybe now you can see that you two are meant to be-"

"Momma!" Robbie Ray cut her off; glancing at Miley's panicked expression. "Erm, is there any pecan pie left in the refrigerator?"

If Lilly's attention hadn't of been focused on the hand that was resting on her knee, she might have noticed the abrupt shift in conversation. As it was the only thing Lilly could think about was the tingling warmth that was spreading up her thigh from the spot where Miley's hand lay. She didn't know whether Miley was aware that her hand was still there. Lilly felt her chest tighten and her heartbeat began to quicken. It wasn't nerves this time, it was some unfamiliar feeling that Lilly hadn't experienced in a long time. Miley's stood up, her hand left Lilly's knee but the tingles stayed. The blonde looked at her questioningly, unaware of the conversation that had just taken place. She opened her mouth but she was pulled to her feet and out of the door. Miley's hand was in hers and the warmth trickled to her fingertips. She was yanked from her thoughts as she realised where they were.

"Miles, why are we in your barn?" She saw hens pecking at the dirt floor and neat stacks of hay. Then she heard a noise that made fear shoot down her spine. It was the soft braying of Miley's horse Blue Jeans. Lilly's blood ran cold.

"I'm going to teach ya how to ride." Miley took a step towards the stall, pulling Lilly with her but the blonde girl's feet were glued to the floor.

"N-No way! Miley you know I don't like horses! My dad took me riding once and I got thrown, remember? I told you the story. I had to have eight stitches in my head. I still have the scar, see?" She pushed her hair away from her forehead and Miley's eyes ran over the thin silver scar that ran just below her hairline.

"I remember. I also remember tellin' ya time and time again that just because ya had one bad experience ya can't let it stop ya! It's like learnin' to ride a bike…" She grinned at Lilly, squeezing her hand. "…or a skateboard." She chuckled throatily as Lilly rolled her eyes. "Come one, Blue Jeans is a real softy and I'll ride with ya." With that she let go of Lilly and opened Blue Jeans' stall. She quickly pulled on his saddle and hopped on, extending her hand to the nervous blonde. "Lils, I won't let anything hurt ya."

"If I end up with another horrible scar I'm blaming you Miles." Against her better judgement Lilly took Miley's hand and jumped up in front of her. She swallowed audibly as she gripped the reigns, Miley's arms coming around her and covering her hands with her own.

"Your scar isn't horrible, it's part of you." Her breath tickled the side of Lilly's neck and she shuddered. Suddenly Miley nudged Blue Jean's and he started to trot forward. Lilly stiffened in the saddle. "Hey, just relax. I promised I wouldn't let ya get hurt. Trust me."

"Ok…" Lilly let out a shaky breath and straightened her back. "Let's get this over with."

They trotted slowly out of the barn. Blue Jeans' hooves clacking against the floor, sending the chickens scattering and clucking angrily at them as they headed slowly to the large open fields surrounding the Stewart's home. Miley kept the pace steady until they reached the field and then she brought the horse to a stop. Lilly took a moment to admire the view. The lush grass ran like a green carpet until it reached an orchard. In the distance huge hills rose up from the earth and Lilly could just make out a flock of moving dots; sheep.

"Right then Lils, I'm goin' to make Blue Jeans go a bit faster. It's called a canter. If ya feel uncomfortable just tell me to stop." With that she nudged the horse and he started to trot again. Slowly he built up speed until they were moving along briskly. Lilly and Miley bounced up and down in the saddle and Lilly's heart quickened but she didn't tell Miley to slow down. Blue Jeans took them all the way to the orchard before Miley brought him to a stop. She hopped down fluidly and turned to help Lilly, who was far less graceful. Her feet hit the solid ground and she stumbled, her legs shaky. Miley laid a hand on her shoulder.

"Ya ok?" Her eyes were concerned but Lilly just smiled and nodded. "Good, come on." She led Blue Jeans by the reigns as they wandered through the orchard. The suns rays filtered through the trees, their leaves starting to turn orange at the edges. The fruit was all long gone as autumn was approaching and the orchard was quiet. They didn't talk as they walked, though the silence was comfortable. Lilly found herself thinking about the way Miley's hand had felt in hers and what the feeling was in her chest. She knew she had felt it once before but she couldn't remember when. She had little time to dwell on it.

"Here we are."

They had walked to the edge of the Stewart's land; there was a small picket fence that ran along the edge of a sheer drop. Miley tied Blue Jeans to a post and patted his flanks. She stood and leaned on the fence, looking out over the small yet beautiful valley. Lilly was a little more adventurous. Having recovered from her ordeal on the horse she quickly jumped over the fence and took a few confident steps closer to the edge. The grass continued for another foot before stopping, the earth disappearing and giving way to nothing. This was the second time Lilly had been here in her life, Miley had brought her here once before on her last visit. Just like last time Lilly stepped even closer to the edge and just like last time Miley warned her worriedly. Lilly ignored her, feeling reckless, and promptly sat on the edge, her feet dangling into the valley below. The grass was slightly damp and it spread a chill through the seat of her jeans. She turned around to see Miley sitting on the fence, looking wary. Lilly said nothing; she just patted the hard ground next to her and looked at her friend expectantly. Miley only hesitated for a second before slowly creeping forward, as though scared the ground would give way beneath her feet. Lilly smiled. It amused her to see that even now, at the age of twenty-four, they were still much like their younger selves; Lilly boldly taking risks and Miley cautiously evaluating everything. The brunette sat down next to her, close enough that their arms brushed lightly. She lowered her feet over the edge and peered past her boots. She wished she hadn't. What seemed like thousands of feet down she could just make out craggy rocks that marked the edge of a small spring, water trickling from its source high up in the adjacent hills. The breeze stirred their hair and Lilly closed her eyes against the midday sun as she turned her face toward the sky. The sun's warmth felt good against her skin, touching her lips and turning her eyelids red. Beside her Miley sighed and she turned to her questioningly.

"What are you thinking about?"

"It seems crazy Lils; so much has changed in the past few days. I wouldn't have believed it if someone told me this would happen. But I'm glad it did." They shared a smile before Lilly turned back to the view, her eyes focused on the valley floor. "What about you?"

"I was thinking that we should take a swim in that spring." The blonde grinned at her friends wide eyes.

"Lilly it's September 3rd! It's already pretty chilly and the water will be freezin'!"

"Oh come on! It's barely cold enough to wear sweaters, it'll be fine. Besides were both reasonably young, let's have some fun!" She was already on her feet and heading further along the edge to where it began to slope gently downwards.

"But we don't have bathing suits!" Miley stood with her arms folded across her chest, biting her lip.

"You're wearing underwear aren't you?" She didn't wait for an answer she just continued down the slope, her feet sliding slightly on the dirt. Miley quickly checked on Blue Jeans before starting after her, muttering about 'skater-dorks'.

"Come on, move those lovely legs Miles." Lilly laughed at the brunettes curses. She stumbled, sending a shower of pebbles to the valley floor.

"I can't believe ya making me do this, ya such a kid!" She threw her arms out for balance as she followed Lilly.

"Miley my dear, that's why I'm so awesome. Anyway why are you complaining? You're the one who was 'Nature Girl' when we were younger." Her feet hit the valley floor and she turned to see the other girls frown.

"Yeah well that was a long time ago Lils…" She took the hand Lilly offered her and joined her on flat ground.

"Don't tell me you've gotten used to the pampered rock star life?" Her eyebrows raised involuntarily.

"Oh come on, I just ain't spent the day like this in ages. Even when I visit I just take Blue Jeans for a quick trot around the paddock, say hello to the family and then I'm off doin' another TV appearance or another tour. Sometimes I wonder whether Hannah should just call it a day, I mean, what's the point if it's not what you want anymore?" Her blue eyes looked pained and Lilly slung a comforting arm around her shoulder.

"No point at all. There's no shame in settling down and doing what you want for a change. Hannah's been around for what… ten years now? Maybe it's about time you thought about what Miley wanted, not Hannah."

"Maybe you're right. I still think she's got one more album in her before she hangs up her mic for good."

"What ever you think cowgirl." She squeezed her tightly for a second. "Now come on, last one in is a Dandruff Danny!" With that she tore off towards the spring, ignoring the protests from the girl left standing in her wake. She made it to the edge in no time at all and bent to test the water. It was chilly but not too bad. She flicked the droplets of water from her fingertips and watched the ripples that disrupted the glassy surface.

"You cheated!" Miley panted by her side, glaring at Lilly defiantly.

"Yeah well, you're just too slow." She didn't give her a chance to protest as she quickly pulled her thin sweater over her head and threw in down. Next she peeled off her tee shirt, her stomach tensing as the cool air hit her skin. Miley's breathing was uneven and she let out a yelp as Lilly turned to look at her. "Come on slow poke, get your clothes off."

"Ok." It came out almost like a squeak and her cheeks flushed red before they were covered by her sweater. Her fingers trembled slightly as she undid the zipper on her jeans and kicked her boots off. By the time she was stripped down to her underwear Lilly was already at the waters edge. Miley took a second to chuckle at her friend, her body may have matured but her personality was still as immature as ever. As if to reinforce this; Lilly was wearing green and blue polka dot underwear.

"Cute underwear Lils." Miley grinned, having recovered from her earlier embarrassment.

"Better than yours, Miss Prissy." The blonde stuck her tongue out as she saw Miley's plain black bra and knickers.

"Hey! What's wrong with them?"

"Nothing… if you're a librarian. I thought rock stars were supposed to be sexy?" There was an evil glint in Lilly's eye as Miley narrowed her own at her.

"That's it you're goin' down Truscott." She launched herself at the smaller girl but did little other than make her shriek. Miley may have been taller but Lilly still retained her athletic build and strength. The girls wrestled with each other briefly, merely causing each other to stumble a little before stopping.

"Well that was stupid." Miley blew a piece of hair out of her face.

"Yeah…" There was brief pause; then Lilly grabbed Miley around the waist and sent them both tumbling into the water. It shot up around them in an icy burst and Lilly felt the cold water invading her ears and stealing her body heat. They broke the surface gasping from the chill.

"Jesus! Lilly ya dork, it's freezin' in here!" Miley's hair was plastered to her head making her look a little bit like a sea lion. A grouchy sea lion.

"It's not that bad." She began to swim circles around the brunette, occasionally flicking water at her. Miley's frown turned into a grin and suddenly she started giggling. "What?"

"I was just thinkin', how stupid must we have looked? Standin' around in our underwear squabbling like a pair of kids."

"I dunno some people might get off on it." That just made them giggle harder. "Come on, race you to the waterfall."

They took off, cutting through the water with ease until they felt the spray pelt them. Lilly stood directly under the waterfall, feeling it crashing down on her and looked at Miley who was a few feet away.

"It feels nice."

"I'm sure it does but I'm happy here."

"Don't be a doughnut, get under here!" Lilly surged forward and pulled her under the spray. It rained down heavily in the pair of them and Lilly felt Miley relax in her hold. The feeling of her bare, water-slicked skin against her own was stirring more strange feelings within her. Grudgingly, she let her go and Miley moved to her side. The tingles she had felt earlier were now dancing all over her skin like an electric current. She repressed a shudder as she looked into Miley's eyes.

"Ocean eyes."

"What?" Miley looked at her curiously and Lilly cursed herself for saying it out loud.

"I said 'Ocean eyes'. Your eyes always remind me of the ocean." Lilly was thankful for the torrent of water streaming down on them, it made it harder for Miley to see the blush that was colouring her cheeks.

"Oh." She chuckled. "Your eyes always remind me of marbles."

"What?! Marbles?" The blonde spluttered as water splashed into her gaping mouth.

"Yeah, I mean. A blue marble, it just looks blue until it catches the light and you see the green swirled in there too. Your eyes do that when they catch the sun or when you're up to somethin'."

"Oh." The pair just looked into each others eyes for a moment, trying to see what they had just described until Miley shivered. "Want to get out? You look pretty cold."

"Yeah, I feel like an ice cube." They swam to the edge of the pool and heaved themselves out of the water. As soon as their bodies hit the cold air their skin erupted in gooseflesh and they couldn't control their shivers. They squeezed the water from their hair and pulled their clothes on over their damp bodies. It wouldn't take long for them to warm up once they started to hike back to the top of the valley. Lilly felt extremely disappointed as she watched Miley's skin disappear under her clothes. She felt slightly horrified by the sudden realisation that she liked seeing her friend standing around half-naked. It wasn't the idea that horrified Lilly but the principle behind it; Miley was her friend who was completely unaware of her lingering gaze. She felt guilty.

It took a little longer to climb the valley due to the frozen stiffness in their limbs but by the time they had gotten halfway up they were both truly warmed up. Lilly made it to the top first having led the way and Miley quickly followed, wasting no time in going over to Blue Jeans who was grazing lazily. She rubbed his neck affectionately before untying him and starting to walk back through the orchard. Lilly followed. They were quiet until they reached the edge of the orchard and Miley swung up onto Blue Jeans, holding out her hand again for Lilly. The blonde wasn't as apprehensive as before and climbed up without hesitation. Miley must have taken this a good sign as she nudged Blue Jeans until he ran a little faster than before. They bounced harder in their seats and Lilly felt the inside of her thighs bruise. Blue Jeans slowed down as the reached the farm and trotted into the barn contentedly. They dismounted and Miley quickly took his saddle off. She went to fetch him some food and water while Lilly was left alone with him. She eyed him warily and he brayed conversationally.

"Oh don't you try and act all cute, I still don't trust you." Lilly crossed her arms and pouted as he brayed again, trying his best to pout back "Ok, ok! You're not so bad for a big old horse."

"Aw could it be love?" Miley grinned evilly and Lilly stuck her tongue out at her.

"Shush you; it's all your fault. Making me like horses… pfft."

"I always knew ya were a cowgirl at heart. Now scoot, Mamaw's serving up lunch."

"Ok boss, YEEHAW!" Lilly mock galloped to the door of the barn, followed by a laughing Miley.

As their feet hit the porch steps they could smell Mamaw's cooking on the breeze and Lilly's mouth watered. Miley pushed the door open and the pair were greeted by five pairs of curious eyes. Mr S and Mamaw went back to cooking as Lorelei finished getting the lemonade from the refrigerator. She smiled warmly and brushed her hands on her jeans as she walked around the table to hug them both.

"It's good to see ya Miley, you've been away too long." Her brown eyes ran over Lilly's face as she turned to the younger woman. "My lord, it's good to see you too Lilly. I couldn't believe it when Robby Ray told me ya were here!"

"It's good to be here, this place hasn't changed a bit."

"Well you sure have." Lorelei took a step back and Lilly saw a very familiar face grinning at her. "Hey there Lilly."

"Jackson!" The blonde grinned in delight as he pulled her into a brotherly hug. "Oh my gosh, you grew… and since when did you need to shave?"

"Hey! Y'know, I forgot how mean ya were…" Jackson ran a hand over his goatee, which made him look a lot more like his father.

"I'm just kidding, you look great." Lilly grinned at him. She had always enjoyed tormenting Jackson; he was the older brother she never had.

"Well you don't look too bad yourself." He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively.

"AHEM!" A pretty red headed woman appeared at Jackson's side. She dug him in the ribs and scowled but the smile on her face was genuine.

"Ah, Lilly this is my beautiful fiancée Natalie." He put his arm around the young woman's shoulders and kissed the top of her head.

"Fiancée? Wow, congratulations! When did this happen?"

"On July 4th, he arranged the most romantic picnic and then asked me just before the fireworks." Natalie snuggled against Jackson's chest and looked up at him lovingly.

"Wow…"

"Yer who'd have thought Jackson could be romantic." Miley rolled her eyes when her brother stuck his tongue out at her. "Anyway, come on. Mamaw's just served up."

They barely had time to dig into Mamaw's homemade chilli before the door burst open and in strolled another blast from the past. He was tall, his shirt carefully tucked into his jeans. A mop of blonde hair was revealed as he took off his cowboy hat and stepped into the kitchen.

"Afternoon Mrs Stewart, folks… I sold all the eggs. The market was real busy today."

"That's great Travis, now why don't ya sit yourself down and I'll get ya some chill?" Mamaw didn't wait for a reply as she went over to the stove. Travis sat down opposite Miley and grinned at her.

"Hey there Smiley Miley, how've ya been?" His too-white teeth flashed as he smiled, something burned in Lily's chest. She never had liked him, he was so smarmy.

"I've been great thanks, what about you?" Miley's own teeth flashed and Lilly's eyes narrowed.

"Well ya know me, take each day as it comes." He ran a hand through his hair and leant back in his chair.

"Yer. Ya remember Lilly don't ya?" The brunette gestured towards her with a manicured hand and Travis' head swivelled.

"Sure! Wow, great to see ya Lilly, it's been how long..?" His blue eyes pierced hers.

"Six years." She did not break their eye contact; she wasn't going to let him win.

"Six years… and ya never thought to call Miley? I mean, she was really upset." His gaze did not waver.

"She wasn't the only one." Lilly's eyes burned and her eyebrows lowered. If looks could kill, Travis would have been six foot under.

"Travis, it was my fault and anyway all that's in the past. Right Lils?" Miley smiled at Lilly and her eyes softened.

"Right." She smiled back and then turned to the charming cowboy. "So Travis, still selling eggs I see?"

Travis' eyes narrowed but his retort was interrupted by Mamaw placing a bowl of chilli in front of him. The conversation took a much more positive route as Jackson and Natalie talked of their wedding plans and everyone asked Lilly about her life. All were impressed with her success, if a little surprised at her choice of career change. The sun had just begun to set when Miley and Lilly decided to head back to Beech Creek. They said their goodbyes at the door and walked down the porch stairs. The three Stewart's waved them off as they climbed into Miley's sports car and disappeared out of the gate. Miley turned the music down low as they drove, the blood red sun casting a fiery glow on both of the young women. Lilly sank back into the soft leather seat and rubbed her full stomach, sighing contentedly.

"God, I missed your Mamaw's cooking."


	16. Chapter 16

A/N: Once again, I'm sorry for taking ages to update. Things have been crazy here lately. I'll try to post quicker =]

Oh, if Nashville is inaccurate it's because I have never set foot on US soil, I'm relying on Google.

Disclaimer: I don't own Hannah Montana *sigh* if I did I wouldn't be working all hours at university.

Fate

_She's sitting on the porch with a glass of iced tea as the sun starts to set, there are two small children running around in the front garden. Two little girls; one with a halo of golden waves, the other with a mess of dark brown curls. The dark haired girl runs up to her carrying a little wooden guitar, her big blue eyes shining. There is a soft hand on her shoulder and she looks up at her other half, squinting against the sun to see their face._

"_Lils..."_

The insistent ringing of Lilly's alarm clock shattered the morning quiet. She bolted upright in bed, looking around frantically before slamming her hand on it. Silence. She flopped back onto her pillows and stared at the ceiling as her heartbeat slowed. The dream quickly faded from her mind as she realised that Nikki and Joel would be arriving in Nashville at 1:30pm; it had just turned eleven. Yawning, the blonde slipped out if bed, stumbling when the sheet caught around her foot. She kicked it off and quickly tidied the bedclothes before heading downstairs to make breakfast. As the smell of toast and coffee filled the kitchen Lilly grabbed her phone and dialled Ryan's number. He answered on the fifth ring.

"Hello."

"Hey cowboy, it's Lilly. How are you?" The toast popped up and Lilly start to butter it, the phone squeezed between her ear and her shoulder.

"Oh hey there flower, I'm pretty good. Yourself?"

"No complaints. Listen, I'm picking my friends up from the airport at half one then we're going to wander around Nashville. Want to come along?"

"Sure, I have a day off might as well do somethin' fun."

"Great! Come over about one and we'll head off."

"Right you are, best get cleaned up. See ya later."

"Bye!" Lilly ended the call and placed the phone back in its cradle. She sat at the table as she ate, occasionally brushing crumbs from her pyjamas. When Miley had dropped her off last night, Lilly had asked her if she wanted to go to Nashville too. Being a secret rock star meant that Miley had to attend a meeting in the city anyway so would meet them after it. Lilly was anxious to know if her friends would get along; truthfully Nikki could get a little overbearing when she met new people. When they had met for the first time they couldn't stand each other, Nikki was loud and obnoxious whereas Lilly had been reserved and "boring". That was Nikki's word, not hers. A Halloween party at a mutual friend's house changed all that when they were the only two left standing in a game of Liqu-or-Treat. Lilly found her to be sweet and funny under her brash exterior; they'd been friends ever since. Joel was different, he was a genuinely nice guy and they had hit it off immediately. He was her GBF (Gay Best Friend) who relished shopping trips and health spas. On many occasions he was also her shoulder to cry on. He had helped her through a lot, especially when things had crashed and burned with her mother. She missed the pair of them terribly.

Taking her time, she walked upstairs and started the shower. Her pyjamas hit the floor and she tested the water with her fingers before climbing in the tub and pulling the curtain shut. She smiled at the frogs that decorated the plastic sheet; happy, sleepy, silly… Looking away from a frog in a shower cap she shut her eyes and ducked her head under the hot water. It streamed down her body, easing the taut muscles in her shoulders before pooling at her feet. She washed her hair with her favourite apple shampoo and rinsed before scrubbing her body and finally shaving her legs. Humming to herself, she stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her torso before going to her room to get dressed. Her humming turned to singing as she flicked the radio on and belted the lyrics out, dancing around as she did so. It was five minutes to one by the time Lilly had finished getting ready. She was wearing her favourite pair of ripped skinny jeans, an ACDC tee shirt and red pixie boots. She grabbed her stuff off the bed before going downstairs, taking them two at a time when the door knocked. Ryan barely had time to blink before Lilly was outside, locking the door behind her.

"Well hey there speedy!" He grinned at her while he leant against the porch rail.

"Howdy partner, you ready?" Lilly led the way to her car and unlocked it, chucking her bag and cardigan on the backseat.

"Let's get goin', can't keep ya friends waitin' after all." They both got in and Lilly started Redgie up. She slowly backed out of the drive and headed towards the interstate. She glanced at Ryan as he rolled the window down and rested his elbow on the door.

"Well aren't you dressed to impress, what's the occasion?" He was wearing grey jeans, black boots, a white plaid shirt and a black waistcoat.

"Oh erm, no occasion, I just wanted to make a good impression on those city slickers." He brushed a hand over the front of his shirt.

"Oh really, one in particular?" Lilly chuckled at the blush that coloured Ryan's cheeks. "Don't worry. I told you, Joel loves cowboys."

It didn't take long for them to reach Nashville International, it was a low lying white building with enormous glass windows on all sides. Lilly followed the signs for the pick-up point and crawled towards the parking bay. Just as she was pulling in her phone began to ring. She brought the car to a stop and grabbed her phone off the dashboard. She answered it, struggling to hear over the rumbling engine of a plane as it took off.

"Hello? Hello… Nikki I can't hear you." Attempting to block out the noise she pressed her free hand against her ear.

"Lilly? Joel, get off…I'm talking to her... No, I haven't got any lip balm. Lilly, where are you?" Nikki's voice was barely audible; which was a feat in itself.

"I'm in the parking bay at the pick-up point. Where are you?" Lilly looked out of her windscreen at the airport doors.

"I'm… oh wait! I can see you!" To the left of the huge glass doors Lilly saw a dark haired woman stood next to a tall blonde man, both were waving madly.

"I can see you too!" She quickly got out of the car, followed by a nervous Ryan, and ended the call. Nikki and Joel ran over, dragging their suitcases behind them. They both reached her at the same time and smothered her in a tight embrace.

"Oh god, I've missed you girl!"

"Yay, I've got my little bombshell back!"

"It's great to see you too guys, I've missed you both." They pulled away from each other and Joel looked over Lilly's shoulder.

"Well you seem to have found a new friend. Who's Mr Tall-Dark-and-Handsome over there?" Nikki and Lilly followed his gaze; Ryan stood leaning against the car, thumbs hooked in his pockets.

"Ooh I wouldn't mind taking a ride with that cowboy." Nikki grinned saucily at Lilly.

"I saw him first, sweetcheeks." Joel gave her a playful glare.

"Sorry Nikki but you're not really his type." Lilly giggled. "Why don't you introduce yourself?"

"No need to tell me twice." He strolled over and stuck out his hand. Ryan took it and smiled broadly. "Nice to meet you, I'm Joel."

"Pleasure's all mine, I'm Ryan. Lilly's told me a lot about ya."

"Only good things I hope." He grinned cheekily at the cowboy.

"O' course, that girl's a diamond."

"Ryan, this is Nikki. Nikki this is Ryan." Lilly motioned between the two as Ryan let go of Joel's hand to shake Nikki's.

"Nice to meet ya too Miss."

"Please honey, call me Nikki." She gave Joel a sly wink as Ryan turned to put their cases in the back of Lilly's car.

"Here let me help." Joel moved to help Ryan as Lilly and Nikki got in their seats. Nikki chose the passenger seat so Ryan and Joel sat in the back. Once they were all buckled up Lilly backed out and exited the airport. The drive wasn't very long and soon Lilly was parking up again in the centre of Nashville.

"Oh are you hungry?" Lilly swivelled in her seat so she could see everyone. Ryan and Joel both shook their heads.

"Noope, we had a big breakfast before we got on the plane. It's time to explore!" Nikki grinned excitedly as they got out of the car.

Ryan was the only one who knew his way around the city so he led them to 12th Avenue South where all the trendy shops were. Nikki squealed in delight when they came across a window display of handbags and wasted no time rushing inside. She came out twenty minutes later with three she just couldn't resist. Lilly chuckled at the disbelieving expression on Ryan's face and linked her arm though his as they wandered along. They took their time investigating the shops but bought nothing, they were supposed to be buying traditional clothes for the barn dance the following day. It took them about an hour to come to the last shop, which sold shoes, and about as long to drag Nikki away. They managed to squash Nikki's numerous purchases in the back of the car before climbing in themselves. Ryan directed Lilly onto Briley Parkway and they drove north towards Opryland for a few miles before taking exit 12 for McGavock Pike. Soon they found themselves heading past the Opryland Hotel onto Music Valley Drive. Lilly found a parking space behind Ernest Tubb's Record Shop and they piled out of the car. Ryan led them to the front of the shop and held the door open for them as they went inside.

It was busy inside, the piped country music barely audible over the chatter of the customers. Lilly found herself pawing through a collection of dusty vinyls; Dolly Parton, Emmylou Harris, The Mavericks. They were all names she had heard on the radio in the past few days. There was a large collection of CD's on the back wall which caught Lilly's eye. Her eyes scanned each artist carefully as she stood next to a man in a Hawaiian shirt and sandals and a young woman in jeans and a tight shirt tied above her navel. She had just got to 'G' when her phone vibrated against her thigh. She fumbled with it as she pressed a hand to her ear and answered.

"Hello?"

"Hey Lils, I just finished my meeting where are ya?" Miley's voice sounded distant.

"Oh hey Miles, we're in Ernest Tubb's Records in Music Village erm…"

"Ya mean Music Valley Village?" Her voice may have been distant but Lilly could hear the amusement.

"Yeah! That place. We'll wait around here for you if you like."

"Great. I'm actually only a few blocks away at the Grand Old Opry. Did ya park behind Tubb's?"

"Yeah, in the top corner. I drove Redgie, you can't miss him."

"I'll say! That thing's redder than Uncle Earl was when he fell asleep in the sun last July… Anyway see ya in a few!"

Lilly chuckled as she put her phone away. She still never wanted to meet Uncle Earl. Her eyes resumed scanning the CD rack, stopping once again when she got to the letter 'H'. Hannah Montana. Of course there was her three early albums but Lilly already had copies of those. However, she didn't have albums four and five; they were the ones Hannah released after Lola left. Lilly's hand was unsteady as she picked them up and examined the cover art. One showed Hannah sitting on the kerb outside an old theatre. The other was sunset in Hollywood; Hannah was sitting in front of the first giant white 'L'. In the bottom right hand corner of both covers there were four letters 'IMYL', Lilly recognised the handwriting. Miley was bleeding through Hannah's mask.

"I never knew you were a Hannah Montana fan." Lilly jumped at the sound of Nikki's voice and turned to her friend.

"Yeah I used to be really into her when I was a kid. I've never heard these albums; I figured I'd give them a listen." She shrugged and headed towards the cash register.

"I think I heard one or two of those songs. She went really weird when she had that fight with whatshername… Lulu?"

"Lola." The shop assistant rang her CD's through and put them in a bag as Lilly handed the money over.

"Yeah Lola! That's it! Shame, I always thought they were pretty cute together."

"Together?" Lilly's question was ignored as Joel and Ryan came over and proceeded to drag them towards the door. As Lilly reached for the handle it swung open, barely missing her face and she found herself eye-to-eye with Miley.

"Christ Miles, trying to break my nose?" She watched Miley take a step back and then pushed her way outside.

"Now why would I want to ruin that cute little nose?" Miley smiled as Lilly giggled nervously; their eyes locking.

"Hey Lilly aren't you going to introduce us?" The others were standing beside her. Nikki dug her in the ribs and Lilly snapped out of her trance.

"Oh… Miley this is Nikki and Joel. Guys this is Miley." She gestured between her friends as they exchanged greetings.

"So did ya'll find anything in Tubb's?" Miley tucked her hands in her back pockets as she spoke.

"Nah, well Lilly bought Hannah Montana CD's." Nikki rolled her eyes at Miley who just chuckled and raised an eyebrow at Lilly's embarrassed expression.

"Oh? Which ones?"

"The last two. I've never heard them and I was curious." Lilly met Miley's eyes.

"Then let's hope she doesn't disappoint." The pair stared at each other, trying to read each other's thoughts before Nikki cleared her throat.

"Hate to break your staring match girlies but we have shopping to do!" She linked Joel and Ryan's arms as they walked down the street. Miley and Lilly followed.

Trail West was the first clothing shop they came to. They pushed through the saloon doors and were greeted by a sea of denim and paisley. Nikki wasted no time pulling them deeper inside, circling the rails of jeans, skirts and shirts. Lilly and Miley spotted identical pairs of dungarees and slipped into the changing rooms to try them on. Lilly struggled to pull her skinny jeans off before scrambling into her outfit and pulling the door open. Miley burst out almost at the same time.

"TA DAA!" Nikki, Joel and Ryan burst out laughing at the sight of them. Miley and Lilly looked at each other with identical grins. The baggy denim swamped them. Miley's pant legs ended a little above her ankle thanks to her long legs. Overall, they looked ridiculous.

"Guess this isn't the look for us."

"Ya can say that again Lils. Time to change!"

"Oh, no. Not so fast. I want a picture of this; I can bribe Lilly with it." Nikki whipped her camera out of her sparkly handbag and Miley slung her arm around Lilly's shoulders. Something fluttered in her stomach at the innocent touch and she grinned goofily at the camera. "Say 'YEEHAW'!"

"YEEHAW!" They echoed as the camera clicked and Nikki smiled.

"Perfect! That's going to look great on Facebook." She slipped her camera strap around her wrist to keep it to hand.

"You wouldn't." Lilly looked at her friend in horror while Miley chuckled.

"I might." She grinned evilly and Lilly groaned as she headed back to the changing room. She emerged a few minutes later to find Joel holding two pairs of jeans up as the others looked on thoughtfully.

"Lilly, I can't choose between them! I like these blue ones but these others make my butt look great." He sighed and chewed his bottom lip as the others laughed.

"Erm… I dunno. What do you think Ryan?"

"The second pair." He blurted out before clearing his throat. "The blue ones are too baggy for wearin' boots with is all."

"Uh huh, yeah sure." Lilly smirked at him.

"These it is then!" Joel hung the blue pair back up and gave Ryan a smile.

"Great, now we just have to find something. Personally I'm thinking skirts." Nikki dove into the skirt racks while Miley and Lilly looked at the jeans.

"You know, I have a dress I could wear. Its green with a paisley trim, think it would work?" Lilly brushed a hand over a denim waistcoat.

"Sure, ya look good in green after all." Miley folded her arms across her chest as she watched Nikki disappear into the changing room with five skirts.

"Thanks." They shared a smile before joining the men waiting for Nikki to decide. It took her twenty minutes.

They left the shop; Joel and Nikki both carrying bags and made their way a few doors down. As Lilly walked into Boot Country she was engulfed by the smell of leather. The walls were lined with rows and rows of western boots. All colours, all sizes, all styles. The left hand side also had a range of hats and belts, which they wasted no time investigating. Nikki and Joel both tried on big, white Stetsons which fell over their eyes. Ryan found himself being forced to try on a pale pink hat and subjected to Nikki's photography skills. Miley and Lilly both reached for a straw hat at the same time.

"Oh, go on Lils."

"Nah its ok, you first."

"Here." Miley picked it up and placed it on Lilly's head gently. She tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, her fingers lingering at her cheek. "Perfect."

Lilly felt her breath catch as Miley's eyes found hers. She unconsciously wet her lips and heard Miley take a sharp breath. Her fingers were burning against Lilly's cheek and she felt the heat spread across them and down her neck. Her eyes darted downwards and rested on Miley's bubblegum pink lips. She had a strong urge to lean upwards and taste them.

"Girls! Doesn't Joel look great?!" Nikki once again interrupted their staring match. Miley's hand leapt from Lilly's cheek and they turned towards the others, their cheeks flaming. Joel was wearing a white hat with a black band around it.

"Yeah, it looks good." Lilly offered them a shaky smile, which no one seemed to notice. Her head was reeling; had she really wanted to kiss Miley? She turned to the taller girl to apologise but Miley just smiled at her.

"I think you should buy the hat."


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: I realise I have neglected you all so I'm going to post as much as I can to make up for it.

I was browsing YouTube (as you do) and came across the CMT Crossroads 08, Taylor Swift duet with Def Leppard! It was the coolest thing I have seen in a while, check it out! Anyway; thanks for the reviews, they really make me smile!

Disclaimer: I wish. The song is "She's more" by Andy Griggs.

Fate

The hat looked at her from her bed. Lilly eyed it as she chewed her lip, cautiously picking it up and facing her mirror. She had been dressed for the dance for an hour now but had yet to put on her hat. Sighing she placed the straw hat on and slowly tucked an errant stand of hair behind her ear. Her cheeks flushed as thoughts of Miley's soft fingers and her pink lips sprang to mind. Last night had been hell; she had hardly slept a wink. Instead she tossed and turned, knotting herself up in her sheets as her head and heart fought. When she had finally tired herself out her dreams were a little heated. Lilly woke up blushing from the things she and Dream Miley had gotten up to. It was going to be hard to look her in the eye. Lilly smoothed her green dress down, slid her purse in its deep pocket and walked downstairs. In the kitchen she poured herself a glass of red wine and sat at the counter waiting for the others. Ryan had taken Nikki and Joel to the store to pick up some beer and whiskey; they'd decided to have a few drinks before they headed out. The clock ticked loudly; 6.55pm. Miley was supposed to arrive at seven. Lilly hoped to god that the others arrived before she did. As much as she loved her best friend she didn't trust herself alone with her. Not after last night. The ticking got louder and Lilly stood up, quickly striding over to the radio and turning it on. Music masked the noise and Lilly drained her glass before pouring another and propping open the door to the living room. She could see right through the window to her porch. The wine disappeared quickly; she drank it without noticing as her head was elsewhere. Her feelings were confusing her; she used to be so sure of herself before Miley waltzed back into her life again. Now her head was all over the place, her heart jittered wildly whenever she thought of the southern beauty and her knees buckled. She felt like a teenager again.

7.05PM.

Finally the door knocked and Lilly hastily went to answer it. She pulled it open and Ryan, Joel, Nikki and Miley greeted her, laden with booze.

"Guess who we bumped in to, looks like Miley here had the same idea as us!" Nikki put her bag on the kitchen counter and pulled out a bottle of tequila.

"Well it was a damn good idea." Joel pulled a bottle of wine out and spotted the empty bottle by Lilly's glass. "Jesus, it's a good job we got another. What's got you draining wine bottles?"

"Nothing, I just fancied a glass or two. Here." She yanked a drawer open and passed him a corkscrew.

"Well I fancy a glass or two of this; care to join me?" Miley held the bottle of Jim Beam in front of her and grinned at Lilly. The blonde smiled back and grabbed some glasses, her earlier embarrassment forgotten.

"Anyone want a beer?" Joel held one out and Nikki took it, thanking him and hopping up on the counter. Lilly wondered how she managed not to flash her underwear considering how short her denim skirt was.

"So Lilly; got any lemons?"

"What for?" She sipped her whiskey and lemonade and lent against the counter next to Miley.

"The tequila!" Nikki grinned devilishly.

"Oh god, why the hell did you buy that?! It's horrible."

"Because it has a cute little hat on the top, see? Anyway, you only think it's horrible because you had to eat the worm that one time and spent the next day with your head in the toilet."

"Eurgh, don't remind me." Lilly shuddered and Miley chuckled. "There in the refrigerator on the top shelf."

Within minutes Nikki had five shots lined up and a bowl of sliced lemon and salt at the ready. They gathered around, quickly putting salt on their hands and picking up the shots. They all grinned at each other, except Lilly who glared and Nikki started a countdown.

"One, two, three!" They licked the salt, threw back the shots and shoved the slices of lemon in their mouths as their faces screwed up. Lilly had to admit, it wasn't all that bad.

Nine o'clock found them sat around the kitchen table, surrounded by empty cans and bottles. Miley chuckled throatily and rested her head on Lilly's shoulder. The blonde felt her heart swell and smiled goofily at Nikki who was watching them curiously.

"Right, let's go!" Joel jumped up suddenly from his chair and stumbled over his own feet. Ryan followed suit, grabbing his hat and jamming it on backwards. He looked confused as it hung low over his eyes and Lilly laughed before standing up and sorting it out. They straightened their clothes out and went to leave the kitchen but Nikki called them back.

"Come on, let's finish the bottle." The last of the tequila was poured into the shot glasses, some over the table, and they drank it. Quickly sucking the lemon slices they turned and left, Lilly struggling to lock the door behind them.

The walk to the dance too longer than it should have, mainly because they were drunkenly zigzagging down the sidewalk. The sky was a dark blue by the time they arrived and the barn was lit by strings of coloured fairy lights. Inside the music was thumping and they were soon spotted by Hank and some of the other folks from the diner. Joel and Nikki took it all in their stride, grinning delightedly at the Stetson-wearing townsfolk. Lilly barely blinked before they were both on the dance floor throwing some shapes with Ryan. Lilly felt Miley's hand on the small of her back and turned to face her friend. A pair of stunning cobalt eyes met hers and her brain went fuzzy. Her heart caught in her throat as Miley leant closer and spoke into her ear.

"Shall we dance?"

Lilly nodded and pulled Miley towards the others, not letting go of her hand as they danced. This was a gesture that didn't go unnoticed by their friends who smiled at them before being swept up in the music. The band, the very same one that played at Lilly's party, took a short break and Nikki dragged the other four outside. It became clear what had caught her attention. There, in the centre of the yard, was a mechanical bull. A crowd of people stood around watching as one by one, contenders were thrown from its back and landed on the cushioned mat. It was quickly decided that they would all have a go and Nikki produced her camera from thin air. Ryan went first and lasted for a good eleven seconds before hitting the hay. Joel barely even got started before he lost his balance and Nikki caught a shot of him in mid-air. She insisted on going next and they watched in amazement as she managed to clamber up wearing her pathetic excuse for a skirt. Shockingly she lasted nine seconds which Miley only just beat by staying on for ten. Lilly bit her lip anxiously as Miley finally fell, restraining herself from running over and playing nurse. The southern girl just laughed as she brushed herself off and stumbled back to the group, giving Lilly a hi-5 as they passed each other. The blonde grinned at the others as she rucked up her dress and gripped the bull's saddle tightly. It started moving, slowly at first but then gradually faster. Lilly gripped it harder with her knees and moved her body in motion with the bull. She couldn't see why everyone else found it so hard; it was similar to riding a wave. She got the balance right and even teased the crowd by whipping her hat off her head and waving it in the air. Their shouts and laughter was blurred as the bull got faster and finally Lilly had enough. She loosened her grip and allowed herself to be thrown to the mat. Her head span slightly as she stood up and brushed her hair out of her green-blue eyes, putting her hat back on. The others ran to greet her and she grinned at them giddily.

"Wow Lilly!"

"How the hell did you manage that?!"

"Look, Alan's put your name on the top of the scoreboard." Ryan pointed behind her and she turned to look. He had indeed; 23 seconds, a new record.

"Way to go skater." Lilly shuddered as Miley's warm breath tickled her neck and her skin erupted in gooseflesh. Their eyes met as Lilly turned around and the twinkle in Miley's eye made something jolt in her stomach. Back in the barn the band started up again and Lilly grabbed Miley's hand. The brunette chuckled as she pulled her inside and they began to sing along. They swung each other around and stomped their boots as though they were born wearing them until the band slowed things down. Joel quickly pulled Ryan toward him and Nikki was soon swaying with a handsome guy in extremely tight jeans. Lilly looked at Miley questioningly and the cowgirl smiled as she pulled her closer. They waltzed in a joking manner as the intro played, giggling drunkenly until the guitarist began to sing.

"_I like brown eyes, hers are green  
Not like the woman of my dreams  
And her hair's not quite as long as I had planned  
Five foot three isn't tall  
She's not the girl I pictured at all  
In those paint by number fantasies I've had"_

Lilly's giggle caught in her throat and she tried to swallow but couldn't. Her heart started to jitter and she slowly looked up into Miley's eyes. _  
"So it took me by complete surprise  
When my heart got lost in those deep green eyes  
She's not at all what I was looking for  
She's more"_

Miley didn't break eye contact as she wrapped an arm around Lilly's waist, effectively crushing them closer still. Lilly's free hand found its way to Miley's shoulder, hesitating before snaking around her neck. Her heart was now hammering in her chest and she had no idea what was running through her head._  
"No, it wasn't at first sight  
But the moment I looked twice  
I saw the woman I was born to love  
Her laughter fills my soul  
And when I hold her I don't wanna let go  
When it comes to her I can't get enough"_

She could feel Miley's breath on her lips and once again she wanted nothing more than to kiss her. Her brain tried to reason that she only wanted it because she was drunk, the song was romantic and it was Miley, her best friend._ Best friends don't kiss._ _  
"So it took me by complete surprise  
When my heart got lost in those deep green eyes  
She's not at all what I was looking for  
She's more"_

Lilly tried to excuse the strange feelings. _Miley's gorgeous, talented, has a damn sexy laugh… why wouldn't I want to kiss her?_ _A sexy laugh?! What the hell brain, shut up._ Miley's tongue darted out to wet her lips and Lilly almost groaned aloud._  
"More than I dreamed of  
More than any man deserves  
I couldn't ask for more  
Than a love like hers"_

Miley gazed at Lilly curiously as the song came to a close. Lilly just smiled shyly at her and she returned it.

"_So it took me by complete surprise  
When my heart got lost in those deep green eyes  
She's not at all what I was looking for  
She's more"_

The last note of the song rang out and Miley squeezed Lilly's hand gently before breaking away from her and clapping along with the rest of the crowd. Lilly was slightly dazed as she joined in, cheering as the band left the stage. The barn started to empty as the townsfolk wandered home. Joel and Ryan held hands as they walked back to Lilly's house. Nikki kept winking at them and filled them all in on the guy she had been dancing with. Miley kept smiling to herself. When they reached her gates she bid them all goodnight and placed a lingering kiss on Lilly's cheek before disappearing behind the wrought iron fence. When they reached the house, Lilly and Nikki went inside and left the guys to say their goodnights. Nikki flopped onto the sofa next to Lilly and nudged her in the ribs.

"Ten bucks says Joel doesn't come in for half an hour." She grinned devilishly at Lilly who just giggled.

"Make it an hour."

By the time Joel crept into the house both girls were fast asleep on the sofa. He smiled and pulled a blanket over them both before grabbing his own and getting comfy in the armchair. It was too early to go to bed. Her yawned in spite of himself and his eyes grew heavy as he thought of a certain tall, dark and handsome cowboy. This trip had become something special.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: Anyone got Emily Osment's EP? It's epic, just thought I'd announce that lol =]

Thank you for the reviews they mean a lot. Also, I think this story is past the halfway point now, I really didn't intend for it to be quite so long.

Read and review please my lovelies!

Disclaimer: Hannah Montana doesn't belong to me and never will. *fake sobs*

Fate

Lilly opened her eyes to find Nikki and Joel oogling her with knowing grins on their faces. She scowled and rubbed the sleep from her eyes before sitting upright. Joel leant forward and passed her a cup of coffee which she accepted gratefully. The hot liquid burnt her tongue as she took her first few sips but it tasted amazing. Her head thumped uncomfortably and she sighed, knowing she'd gotten off lightly. Only when she looked up from her cup did she realise they were still staring at her.

"What?" She looked at both of them with a frown. "What are you both grinning at?"

"So did you have fun last night?" Joel sipped his coffee and shot Nikki a look.

"Yeah I did but shouldn't I be asking you that question?"

"Oh my night was pretty good. We're meeting Ryan for breakfast."

"Did you sleep well?" Nikki grinned at Lilly, her eyes twinkling.

"Yeah, I slept like a log." Lilly raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Oh that's good…" Nikki took a swig of coffee. "So how long have you been lusting after Miley?"

Lilly had just taken a mouthful of coffee and was halfway through swallowing. She spluttered attractively and dribbled her remaining mouthful down her chin. She coughed, swiping at her face before gaping at the girl with wide eyes. "What?! I'm not… I don't… I'm not even gay!"

"Oh come on blondie! You were making eyes at each other all night. Wake up and smell the coffee." Joel smiled at her from the armchair and sipped his drink knowingly.

"We were not!"

"Were too. I thought there was something going on anyway but then when I saw you too together… god it was just so obvious!"

"What? You thought anyway..?" Lilly held her mug tightly, her head still reeling slightly.

"They way you talk about her, it's like she's the most important person on the planet and you get this look on your face." Nikki laid a hand on Lilly's arm. "It's okay Lilly, we still love you."

"Sure we do, plus you look damn adorable together!" Joel set his mug down and knelt by Lilly's other side placing a hand on her blanket covered knee.

"But…" Lilly smiled at them both with a small frown. "We're not together. Honestly."

"But do you want to be?" Joel asked softly his eyes roaming her face.

"I don't know... I'm not even sure I like her that way. Oh god, it's like I'm fourteen again!" She flopped her head back on the sofa, slopping coffee onto the blanket.

"You had a crush on her when you were fourteen?" Nikki's eyebrows raised curiously.

"No, no I mean I feel all jittery and confused like some hormonal teenager."

"Was Miley around last time you were all jittery and hormonal?" Joel smiled as a look of realisation crossed Lilly's features.

"Oh my god." Lilly remembered back to all the times they were together; on the beach, at sleepovers, even in school. Every time Miley had touched her, no matter how innocently, the jitters had started. The past few weeks had been just the same; the horse ride, the waterfall, shopping. She hadn't realised what it was back then but now it was all too obvious. "I like her… oh god, I like Miley. What the hell am I going to do?!" Her eyes were pained as they stared desperately at her friends.

"Woah calm down Lilly!" Joel rubbed her knee soothingly.

"It's okay sweetie. Look, from the way you two were last night, I'm pretty sure she likes you too. Just take it slow, see what happens. I know it's kind of new but just give yourself some time to get your head around it." Nikki took Lilly's mug from her hands and put it on the table before wrapping an arm around her shoulders.

"Thanks guys, I don't know what I'd do without you." Lilly relaxed into the hug as Joel perched on her other side.

"Oh sweetie you'd be much more boring. Now come on, go get showered and while you're at it, why don't you call Miley and ask if she wants to meet us for breakfast?" He gave her a reassuring smile as she got up and headed towards the stairs.

"Maybe I will." She trudged up the stairs and went to the bathroom.

The water was hot when Lilly stepped under the spray, pulling the frog shower curtain closed. She tilted her head back and let it run over her skin, easing the tension in her muscles. After a while she lathered her sponge up and began to wash the grime from last night down the drain. There was something about sleeping in her clothes that made her feel grubby so she took a little longer soaping herself. Finally she washed her hair, noticing that it had bits of straw in it. She frowned in confusion before remembering the mechanical bull and she letting out a chuckle. Last night had been eventful. She shut off the water and stepped out of the tub, wrapping a towel around herself before heading to the mirror. It was steamed up so she wiped a clear patch with her hand before brushing her teeth and leaving the bathroom. She stopped to shout down the stairs that the bathroom was free and heard Joel and Nikki start to argue over who got first dibs. She chuckled, not waiting to see who won and went into her room. The phone lay in its cradle and Lilly eyed it hesitantly.

"God Lilly, get a grip." She muttered to herself before grabbing it and punching in Miley's number.

"Hello?" Miley's voice was huskier than usual and Lilly grinned. So she wasn't the only one who was hungover.

"Hey Miles, how's the head?"

"Oh mornin' Lils! Not too bad actually, feel like I gargled sawdust though. Yours?"

"Not too bad either. Listen, we're heading to the diner for a late breakfast, fancy coming with?" Lilly tried to act casual though her chest had suddenly welled with anxiety.

"Sure, what time?"

"Um, let's say an hour?"

"Okay, see ya then"

"Bye." Lilly hung up the phone and smiled to herself, why had she even been nervous? She pulled her drawer open and found some underwear before heading to her closet. Finding an outfit was harder than she thought. It was only breakfast but she wanted to look presentable. Her hand strayed to a dress but she shook her head; too dressy. A skirt? Nah, too summery. Jeans; casual yet still nice. Lilly yanked them from the shelf and grabbed a tee shirt. It took her another half an hour to get her hair right. Nikki and Joel knocked on her door just as she decided to leave it down and grabbed a jacket from her closet. September had brought a chill to Tennessee.

The diner was quiet and Lilly suspected many of the townsfolk were still in bed, nursing their own hangovers. The three of them walked over to the counter and took a seat just as Big Mo came out from the kitchen. She looked chirpy as ever, though Lilly remembered seeing her dancing up a storm with her husband Earl last night.

"Mornin' folks, how are the heads?" She gave them a grin as she pulled a notebook from her apron pocket.

"Not too bad Mo, yours?" Lilly heard the door open and a chill ran down her spine.

"Never better kiddo, these ya friends?"

"Yeah, this is Joel and Nikki." She pointed at the two of them who quickly exchanged greetings.

"Nice to meet ya folks." She gave them each a warm smile before looking over Lilly's head to whoever had just entered. "Why hello there Miley, ya look as alive as these three."

"Hey Mo, how ya doin'?" The brunette pulled up a seat next to Lilly.

"Just peachy darlin'. Now are ya ready to order?" They barely had time to answer before Ryan strode in and met them at the counter. "Ah, last but not least ey. Now are ya ready?"

There was a muttering of consent before everyone placed their orders and decided to move to the big round booth in the corner. They sat down and Mo brought their drinks over before heading into the kitchen to check on her husband. Miley's arm brushed against Lilly's as she reached for her orange juice and tingles shot up her arm. Lilly licked her lips and turned to face her.

"Hey." Lilly scolded herself for sounding so pathetic.

"Hey to you too." Miley smiled at her in amusement and she felt the blush creep into her cheeks. She was spared making another attempt at talking as Nikki started asking questions about the guy she had danced with the night before.

"His name was Hal Keller or Kal Heller, I don't remember. Is he a local?" She wrinkled her nose in confusion.

"Kal Heller, he works over at the bakery. He's a nice guy." Ryan was sitting close to Joel who had hold of his hand.

"Isn't he the one who accidentally let all of Marty Coleman's sheep loose last April?" Miley looked to Ryan for confirmation.

"Oh yer! Gee Marty was pissed, took all day to round them up again." He let out a chuckle.

"Sounds like quite a catch Nikki." Joel turned to smirk at her teasingly and she poked him in the shoulder.

"Quiet you, just 'cause you found yourself a cowboy and I found a clown." She pretended to sulk.

"You are such a drama queen." Lilly grinned at her friend who took it one step further by sighing heavily and slouching back against the seat. "God, you're awful!"

"I dunno Lils, you used to be pretty bad yaself." Miley chuckled as Lilly frowned and crossed her arms.

"Was not."

"Were too! Remember that time they ran out of mint choc chip ice cream at Swirlys? Ya started rantin' on about how ya couldn't understand why life was so cruel. Blah, blah, blah."

"I did not!" Lilly dug Miley in the ribs as she laughed. "Okay, I did but I wasn't that bad!"

"Were too."

"Was not."

"Were too."

"Was no-"

"Woah! Okay ladies we get it! Jesus you're like a pair of kids; can't take you anywhere." Nikki shook her head at them and they looked at each other sheepishly. Before anymore arguments could start Big Mo arrived carrying their food. Lilly's mouth watered at the smell and Miley giggled as she eyed her plate of pancakes lovingly.

"I swear, if ya could marry that plate of pancakes you'd be down that church in a heartbeat." She cut into her omelette and took a bite.

"Nah, I'd prefer to just eat them." Within minutes Lilly's plate was clean and she was sipping her milkshake contentedly.

"I'll never get used to that." Ryan said while staring at Lilly disbelievingly.

"Oh you will honey." Joel squeezed his hand affectionately/

"Sure ya will, I don't think I'd ever get used to a Lilly who didn't swallow her food so inhumanly fast." Miley smiled cheekily before ruffling Lilly's hair.

"Hey! Watch it Stewart." She batted her hands away and shot her a playful glare.

"Oh no, don't you start again!" Nikki broke in just as Miley raised her hand to retaliate. "Anyway, we'd better get going. Our plane leaves in an hour."

While Joel finished his coffee, Lilly paid for their food and thanked Big Mo who waved them out of the door. As they could all easily fit into Lilly's car along with the luggage it was decided that she would drive. They arrived at the airport with half an hour to spare which was good because Joel and Ryan took their time saying goodbye. Just outside the departure gate Nikki quickly gave Miley and Ryan a hug before pulling Lilly close.

"God it's been so great seeing you honey. I'm glad you're happy down here but remember we're only a call away if you need us." She sighed heavily as Lilly squeezed her back.

"I know, I'm going to miss you Nik. Thanks for coming down, you know your welcome anytime." She quickly kissed her cheek before pulling away.

"Oh and Lilly." She leant in closer and whispered in her ear. "Hurry up and kiss her."

Lilly barely had time to respond before Joel gave her a quick hug and they started to walk towards the terminal. The three of them stood waving until Nikki turned around and called back to them.

"Oh Miley, you take care of my girl you hear?"

"Always." Miley smiled at her as they went through the double doors and out of sight.


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: So I hope Lilly's realisation wasn't too rushed but hey, sometimes these things just spring on you… like a mousetrap. *ahem*

For the sake of this chapter, the Planet Hollywood in LA is still there!

Thanks for the reviews! They make me smile so keep them coming =P

Disclaimer: I don't own Hannah Montana, just the fictional town of Beech Creek, TN.

Fate

Only two weeks after dropping Joel and Nikki off at Nashville International and Lilly was back there again with Miley. This time they were flying out to LA so that Lilly could appear on the Tyra Banks show to talk about her book. Lilly had insisted that Miley go with her for support and she had obliged willingly enough. They pulled into the 'Departures' parking lot and grabbed their small overnight bags from the trunk. Lilly locked Redgie and made sure her ticket was displayed on the window before smiling at Miley and walking towards the double doors. It was Friday so the airport was a little busier than usual but they had arrived with an hour before their flight so they were in no hurry. Lilly led the way to the departure desk and handed her passport and ticket over. The cheery blonde woman behind the desk told her where to go and wished her a pleasant trip. Lilly moved to the side and waited for Miley to check in, quickly scanning the departure lounge for a café. She grinned to herself as she spotted a Starbucks.

"God that gal was creepy!" Miley shuddered and pulled a face at Lilly.

"The check-in girl? She was just being friendly Miles."

"Too friendly, why'd she have to smile that? It was like the Cheshire Cat from Alice in Wonderland."

"I still can't believe he scares you. It's a smiley cat for godssake!"

"A creepy, stripy, invisible, smiley cat." Miley cast her eyes around and they landed on Starbucks. "Ya thinkin' what I'm thinkin'?"

"Caffeine?"

"Don't forget a muffin; ya know I love those blueberry muffins."

They sat in armchairs as they sipped their coffee and ate their muffins. Starbucks wasn't as busy as they expected so they stayed there for the rest of their hour, people watching. The departure lounge was chaos; packed with people in suits, hawaiian shirted tourists and a few families with hyperactive children. The pair watched as a boy of about seven ran over to the window they were sitting by. He paused and looked at them for a second before squashing his face against the glass and pulling faces. Miley sat back in her seat slowly and turned to Lilly with a look of fear only to find the blonde sticking her tongue out at the kid. She watched in amusement as her friend tried to out-do the seven year old by pulling her infamous my-dog-ate-my-contacts-and-toothpaste face. A shadow approached the window and Lilly quickly sat back and returned her attention to her second coffee. The boy's mother pulled him away quickly, shooting a glance at Miley who just smiled.

"Lilly."

"Miley."

"What the hell was that?!" She tossed her dark curls over her shoulder before turning to her friend with raised eyebrows.

"What? He asked for it…" Lilly looked away nonchalantly and Miley finally started to laugh.

"God help ya partner if you ever decide to settle down and have kids. You'll be worse than they are!" She grinned at her affectionately.

"Well they'll just have to put up with me won't they?" She flashed Miley a smile before the speaker announced that their flight was boarding.

"Come on then silly, LA here we come." Miley led the way to the flight desk and they joined the queue. It didn't take long for them to be waved through and shown to their seats. Lilly started to fidget as soon as they were seated and Miley had a feeling the two cups of coffee had been a bad idea. "God can't ya sit still? Want me to get ya a colouring book from the nice lady Lillypie?" She patted her on the head patronisingly and Lilly scowled.

"No thank you Mileykins, I'll be fine." She sulked in her seat to Miley's amusement until the plane started to take off. As the engine pulled them into the air she gripped Miley's hand in fear and muttered curses under her breath. A throaty chuckle escaped the southern girl but she rubbed Lilly's hand soothingly. Her grip started to relax when they were airborne and she let out a relived sigh.

"Lilly Truscott, tomboy skater-chick, scared of a plane. Who would have thought it?"

"Oh shut up Stewart, you know I'm not scared of the plane. Just the fact it might go KABOOM when we take off and we'll plummet to our doom."

"Drama queen, how many times have you been on a plane?"

"Um… lots."

"And how many times has that happened?"

"Never… but that doesn't mean it won't!"

"Pfft wimp."

"Miley, you're scared of the Cheshire Cat."

"Point taken."

The next two hours passed without incident. They chatted aimlessly and giggled at the man sitting behind them who kept mumbling to himself in his sleep. Just as he had a particularly loud outburst (Don't take my Twinkies!) the seatbelt sign illuminated and they began their decent into LAX. Once they were off the plane and through security they began to search the assembly of chauffeurs for Lilly's. Miley pointed to a tall, tanned man in a suit with a placard. Sure enough, Lilly's name was printed on the front so they went over to him. He greeted them and carried their bags to the car. It wasn't a limo but a sleek, black BMW with tinted windows which they rolled down to get a look at the passing scenery. It was reasonably familiar to both of them as they had often been to LA when they were teenagers thanks to Hannah and Lola. They pulled up outside their hotel and a bellhop led them inside, carrying their bags. They thanked the driver who told them he would pick them up at four o'clock. They checked in and were shown to their rooms on the fourth floor. They were reasonably sized with a double bed, mini bar and en suite bathroom. There was a door to the right of Lilly's room which turned out to be a connecting door into Miley's room, which was identical. They had just over three hours before their driver came to pick them up again so they decided to eat lunch at the restaurant down the road; Planet Hollywood. Miley looked at Lilly in disbelief as she was pulled towards its door.

"No Lilly, we've been here how many times?! It was fine when we we're fourteen but come on!"

"But Mileyyy it's my favourite and I haven't been since then! Please Miles, for me." She grabbed both of her hands and gave her the puppy dog face. Miley never could resist.

"Oh no! No." Miley tried her best to stay stubborn but Lilly fluttered her eyelashes and she caved. "Fine but you are not buyin' another tee shirt. You must have twelve of them already."

"Deal!" She grinned and they started walking again. "I'll buy a hat this time." Miley shot her a filthy look and she giggled, pausing to hold the door open for her friend and gesturing her inside.

Inside was noisy, music blared from the huge speakers and clips flitted across the giant plasma screens. They were promptly shown to their table which was next to a life-size model of Alien, much to Lilly's delight. Miley picked up a menu and browsed it quickly as Lilly eyed the new additions to the restaurants walls. She grinned as she spotted a Hannah Montana tour poster from seven years previous to their right. It brought back happy memories of their last trip here, Lilly had been ecstatic when they'd asked her to sign it too and had grinned like a maniac all through the meal.

"Miles, check it out. Hannah's poster is still up!" She pointed at it and Miley's head swivelled.

"Woah, I didn't think it'd still be up. I mean, it's been years." She smiled.

"We have to get a picture next to it! It'll look so funny next to the Hannah and Lola one." Lilly pulled her camera from her purse just as the waiter arrived. He laughed at their request and took the camera from Lilly as they took their places next to the poster. They posed and the flash went off. They thanked the waiter who then took their orders. Miley decided on the LA Lasagne while Lilly opted for the Planet Grande Burrito.

"One major difference from the last time we were here; we can order cocktails!" Lilly rubbed her hands together before turning to the waiter once again. "I'll have a Blue Crush please." He jotted it down and turned to Miley expectantly.

"I'll have a… Dark Knight please." She smiled and handed him the menus.

"Ok I'll be back with your drinks in a moment." He turned on his heel and left.

"Wow." Lily held her camera in her hands. "Look." She passed it to Miley who saw that it was the picture the waiter had just taken. It was almost exactly like the one she'd had on her wall for the past seven years.

"Wow, now that's just spooky." Their thoughts were interrupted by the arrival of their drinks. Lilly's was bright blue with sugar around the rim and a toy shark sticking out of the top. Her eyes lit up in delight and she thanked the waiter before sucking on her straw.

"Ooh that's nice. How's yours Miles?"

"It's alright. Want to try it?" She offered her glass to Lilly who lent over the table and took a quick sip. She held her own cocktail out towards Miley.

"Yeah it's pretty nice."

"Nicer than yours." Miley pulled a face as she passed her drink back.

"Hey! Now that's a lie. Mine is fruity and lovely. Yours just tastes like whiskey."

"That's because it's a proper drink. Yours is just like drinkin' soda."

"You're just jealous because I got a shark in mine and yours is boring." Lilly smirked as Miley opened her mouth to protest but the look in her eyes told her she was right.

"Yeah well… I- I like sharks." She finished lamely. She didn't have time to sulk though as their meals arrived and they wasted no time digging in.

"Y'know I think we should name him." Lilly said around a mouthful of food.

"Name who? And don't talk with a mouthful of food its gross!" Miley wrinkled her nose and Lilly rolled her eyes before swallowing.

"The shark. He needs a name."

"Oh um… how about Finley? Ya know 'cause he's got fins!" She grinned; proud of her naming skills.

"Finley? Miles that's lame." Lilly watched as Miley's face fell.

"Got anything better?" The southern girl snapped, shooting the blonde an evil look.

"Um… no."

"Finley it is then! Now eat up, I can hear your stomach from here."

When they were finished the waiter appeared with their bill. Miley insisted on paying so Lilly wandered towards the merchandise and quickly found what she was looking for. Once they stepped outside Miley noticed the bag in Lilly's hand.

"Oh no, I thought we said no tee shirt!" She put one hand on her hip and waggled a finger at Lilly. "Shame on you."

"Hey I didn't buy a tee shirt. I got… these!" With a flourish the blonde pulled out two identical hats and quickly shoved one on Miley's head. "See! You look great Miles, now you have to wear it all the way back to the hotel."

"Oh Lilly, you shouldn't have." She cast Lilly a dirty look but smiled in spite of herself. It was classic Lilly after all.

They got back to the hotel without too many people smirking at their hats, not that Lilly cared, they were "just jealous" according to her. They had an hour and a half before they were being picked up so they both headed to their rooms to change. Lilly took her time in the shower, investigating all the different water settings until one shot out like a rocket and hit her in the eye. She grumbled to herself before settling with the original setting and finished her shower. Picking an outfit wasn't hard because she had only packed the one outfit suitable for national TV. It was a simple deep green dress with a thick black waist belt which made her eyes that bit more striking. She dried her hair and let if stay wavy before applying her eye make up and lip gloss. Just as she was slipping on her black heels there was a knock at the adjoining door.

"Come in"

"Ooh looking good Lils." Miley peeked her head around the door before walking in and sitting on the bed.

"Thanks; not looking to shabby yourself." Lilly ran her eyes over Miley. She was wearing a tight black pencil skirt with an inky blue blouse. She couldn't help but stare; Miley looked gorgeous.

"Um Lil, my face is up here."

"Sorry!" Lilly blushed as her eyes jumped to Miley's. The southern girl just chuckled and stood up.

"Want some help?" For a minute Lilly was confused but then she remembered the necklace in her hand.

"Oh! Yeah, please." She turned her back on Miley and handed her the necklace. Her breath caught in her throat as she felt Miley gently brush her hair away from her neck. Her fingers seemed to ghost over the sensitive side of Lilly's neck before resting against her collarbone. Miley's fingers fumbled with the clasp before it snapped open and she drew her hands back. There was an audible click as the clasp locked and Miley brushed her hair back into place. Where her fingers had traced still tingled and Lilly's legs felt wobbly as she slowly turned back to face Miley. Their faces were within inches of each other and Lilly could once again feel Miley's breath against her lips. Her eyes rose to meet the southern beauty's and Lilly almost gasped as she saw the want in them. Her brain barely had time to register that Nikki had been right for once; Miley did like her, before their heads were moving together. Their lips were almost touching.

"Miss Truscott!" The door hammered and they sprang away from each other, blushing furiously. Lilly shot a quick smile at Miley as she hurried to answer the door. A bellhop was outside with her driver. "Are you ready to leave? Your car is here."

"Oh yes just let me grab my purse." She dashed back to the bed to pick up her things before grabbing Miley's hand and following the driver to the car. She didn't let go as they drove to the studio, choosing instead to rub her thumb over the back of Miley's hand. Her head was still spinning. They had almost kissed… again. It was becoming a habit but it was something that excited Lilly. She took a moment to wonder what would have happened if they hadn't been interrupted. She blushed and turned towards Miley who was staring out of the window with a smile on her face. It didn't take long for them to drive to the studio and as soon as they were in the lobby several tekkies rushed over to them. Lilly was forced to let go of Miley's hand as she was pulled over to make up who touched her eye shadow up and gave her more lip gloss. She turned to Miley with pleading eyes, she hated this. Miley just stood at the sidelines and smiled. Soon Lilly's ordeal was over and she was allowed to return to Miley's side. Just as she opened her mouth to talk a voice called her name.

"Lilly Truscott! Why, it's so good to meet you honey." Tyra Banks strode over to them, her heels clicking on the floor. She was imposingly beautiful in a simple black dress and blazer.

"Ms Banks." Lilly shook her hand nervously. "It's great to meet you too, I'm a huge fan."

"Please call me Tyra and I'm the fan. Loved your book!"

"Thank you. Oh um this is a friend of mine, Miley Stewart." She gestured to her and Tyra shook her hand too.

"Ah Miley, cute name, it's nice to meet you too. Listen I better go start the show, I'll see you in a second honey. Don't worry; you're going to be great!"

With that she was gone and Lilly grabbed Miley's hand again, nerves now taking control. On set they heard the applause of an invisible crowd and Tyra's voice boom out across the studio. A stage hand tried to pry Lilly away from Miley and she shot Miley a panicked look.

"Lilly don't worry. You're going to be brilliant. I mean, come on! You've done much worse than this. Remember that time you took a wrong turn at the Teeny Awards and ended up being pulled into the dance act for the Jonas Brothers? Ya had to jump around like a lunatic for five minutes why they did their song. Now go, show them the real Lilly Truscott. I think she's pretty great." Miley smiled at her softly and Lilly remembered her telling her the exact same words six years ago. She smiled back and pulled her into a quick hug before allowing herself to finally be steered towards the sound desk. She was fitted with a clip on microphone before being shown the door to the set. On stage she could hear Tyra start her introduction.

"Now we have a national first, please put your hands together and welcome author Lilly Truscott!"

Lilly gulped before adopting a shaky smile and stepping out on the set. The lights dazzled her and she grinned as she strode over to greet Tyra again. The applause died down as Lilly took her seat across from the host and smoothed her dress down.

"Lilly Truscott, so great to have you on the show! Is this the first time you've ever been on tv?"

"Yeah it is and god I'm so nervous!" The audience chuckled as Lilly shot them a smile. At the corner of the set she could see Miley standing with the director.

"Well nothing to be nervous about honey! Now then, tell us about your book, it's your first ins't it?"

"It is indeed. It's called Unlucky and its about this uy who breaks a mirror and his life falls apart. It sounds pretty depressing but really it's just a tongue-in-cheek look at superstition. I like to think it's kind of funny." The audience chuckled again but Lilly couldn't see them because of the set lights.

"Well it had me laughing. This isn't the first thing you've written though is it? I have it on good authority that you were actually a pretty successful director/scriptwriter."

"I did my degree in film studies up in DC and for my final piece I wrote the script as well as directing and producing it. The story caught the examiners eye and he sent it on to the organisers of the New York Film Festival. To cut a long story short; I wrote and directed two of my own films along with a bunch of others and finally got offered a contract with Orchard Publishers for my book about two months ago."

"Wow, so you've been a busy, busy girl! Have you been taking it easy lately then?"

"Not exactly, I moved down to Tennessee so that was hectic but I love it there so it was totally worth it."

"Tennessee! Bit of a change of scenery."

"Yeah well I went there once with a friend of mine and saw this house; really old with lots of character. Anyway, seven years later I found it was for sale and snapped it up. I've not looked back since."

"Wow, that's certainly a story. You heard it here first folks!" The audience cheered and Lilly grinned. So far, so good. "Now then, I hope you don't mind Lilly but were going to do a quick fire round so get ready girl."

"Ok." Lilly wrung her hands together nervously while shooting a look at Miley who gave her a thumbs up.

"So, where in the world would you go if money was no problem?"

"Um, Africa so I could climb Kilimanjaro."

"Nice. What is your biggest fear?"

"Oh that's easy." She giggled and shot Miley a quick glance. "I'm terrified of taking off when on a plane. We flew here today and I think I crushed Miley's hand."

"Oh you poor thing, Miley is your friend from..?"

"From home. Well we went to school together in Malibu, lost touch but met up again in Tennessee which was crazy."

"Spooky. Sounds like you really weren't meant to loose touch. Most embarrassing hing you have ever done?"

"God where to start! I know, entering the singing contest at school. I was awful but it turned out to be kind of fun."

"All time favourite song?"

"Easy, Hannah Montana – True Friend. I know it's an oldie but I was obsessed with that song for years."

"Hannah Montana; gotta love that girl. Stupidest thing you've ever done?"

"Oooh there's a long list… The time I tried to ollie over a plant pot outside the mall and fell on my face. Hurt like hell, everyone saw and I twisted the wheel on my skateboard."

"You used to skate?"

"Yeah I was pretty good too… eventually."

"Okay last question, greatest achievement to date?"

"Managing to grow sunflowers in my garden! I usually kill everything, except my cactus, so that was pretty special."

"I know what you mean; I don't have green fingers either. Well thank you so much for coming on the show, it's been great to have you."

"It's been great being here and it was lovely to meet you."

"My pleasure honey; Lilly Truscott everybody!" The invisible crowd erupted in applause; led by Miley who was cheering like a madwoman from the sidelines. Lilly waved to the crowd as she left the set and found Miley who wrapped her in a hug.

"That was brilliant! You were great Lils!"

"You think? My god, Miles I thought I was going to die."

"You did an awesome job and you know it. Now come on, let's go celebrate!"

"If you say so, I vote we hit that swanky bar on the corner, near the hotel."

"Your wish is my command, Lillypie." Miley linked Lilly's arm and pulled her through the door towards their waiting car.

Much later Lilly and Miley were set at a small table in Glasshouse, the swanky bar, drinking fruity little cocktails. Their table was littered with empties which were promptly cleared away by a waitress who smiled at them and asked if they were having a good evening. Lilly nodded and Miley ordered more cocktails which the waitress returned with a few minutes later.

"It's last orders I'm afraid ladies, we close in half an hour."

"Oh alright, thank you. Here." Lilly gave the girl a twenty and stuck her straw in her mouth.

"Thank you, have a good night ladies." She smiled at the both before taking her tray and collecting glasses.

"It's ok Lil, we can see what goodies are in our mini bars when we get back." Miley's accent was thicker now she'd had seven cocktails and four glasses of free wine back at the studio.

"Good plan Miles." Lilly sucked her straw harder before looking at her glass in confusion. It was empty. "Oops…"

Miley giggled before finishing her drink too and getting to her feet. Lilly followed suit, the alcohol making her head spin. She clutched Miley's hand as they walked slowly towards the door. Miley pulled it open while Lilly turned to wave goodbye to the bar staff. Outside the cool evening air sobered Lilly up slightly but Miley seemed to get worse. She sang all the way back to their hotel rooms.

"Don't break my heart, my achy breaky heart… Lils are we there yet?" She leant against the door frame as Lilly got her key from her bag. She opened the door to Miley's room and pulled her friend inside. Miley flopped onto her bed and hiccupped; she was completely wasted. Lilly rolled her eyes as she knelt down and pulled Miley's heels off. Miley looked uncomfortable in her skirt and shirt so Lilly tried to persuade her to get changed.

"Miles, Miles come on. Put your pj's on. Look they're right next to you. Come on Miles."

"Lillypie I don't wanna. Just gonna lay here… yer lay here and- and, Lils sleep with me?"

"What?" Lilly blushed but Miley didn't see she had closed her eyes and was mumbling to herself. Lilly knew she hadn't meant it like that but her stomach jolted at the thought. She leant over the drunk girl and saw that she had fallen asleep. "Miles, you pain in the butt." She pulled the covers over Miley before she pressed a kiss to her forehead, whispered goodnight and headed for her own bed. As the door clicked shut Miley let out a soft snore, a sleepy smile tugging at her lips

"Lils…"


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: Sorry again! I really am ridiculously bad at updating, I'm going to try and schedule in some writing time aside from my uni work load. Otherwise I'll never finish this bloody thing.

Anyway, please R&R. Thank you so much to those that have, you make my day.

Disclaimer: Still no closer to owning Hannah Montana.

Fate

_She's sitting on the porch with a glass of iced tea as the sun starts to set, there are two small children running around in the front garden. Two little girls; one with a halo of golden waves, the other with a mess of dark brown curls. The dark haired girl runs up to her carrying a little wooden guitar, her big blue eyes shining. There is a soft hand on her shoulder and she looks up at her other half, squinting against the sun to see their face._

"_Lils..."_

Lilly jolted awake in her seat as the plane rocked with the turbulence. She rubbed her eyes and tried to work the kinks out of her neck. Plane journeys were beginning to irritate her, there were only so many she could take and this was the eighth in three weeks. It wasn't by choice. Orchard Publishing had booked her on talk shows across the States and she had gone along to promote her book. She knew she had to do it but it didn't mean she had to like it. Not that she was ungrateful for the opportunities it granted her, and the people she met were always so nice, but she missed home. She missed Miley.

She missed the brunette even more when the seatbelt sign illuminated and the plane began its decent into Nashville international. Lilly gripped the arms of her seat tightly, her knuckles turning white, as the plane bounced onto the tarmac. It came to a stop and the blonde let out a breath she didn't realise she had been holding. As she waited for the plane door to be opened she grew steadily more impatient. It took will power not to shove everyone out of the way in order to get out into the fresh, October air. Finally, her feet hit the steps and she slowly disembarked breathing deeply. A smile slid onto her face as she headed inside through security to collect her bag. Once she finally spotted it enjoying its ride on the carousel, she grabbed it quickly and made her way through yet another security point. She checked her watch as her bag was x-rayed; 12:42 PM. Not long and she would be home. With her newly scanned bag on her shoulder she walked out of the 'Arrivals' gate and was about to make her way towards the taxi rank when a shout caught her attention.

"Lilly! Hey Lils, over here!" Miley and Ryan stood next to the vending machines clutching a brightly coloured banner. It read 'Welcome home Lilly!' in giant letters. Her friends wore matching grins which Lilly mimicked as she ran over to them, not caring that her bag was hitting her painfully on the hip. She dropped it with a heavy thud and wrapped her arms around Miley in a tight hug. To her right she heard Ryan chuckle.

"Oh god, it's so good to see you!" She forced herself to let go of the cowgirl and allowed herself to be pulled into Ryan's embrace. "You have no idea how much I've missed you."

"I think we have an idea." Ryan grinned down at Lilly as he let her go and picked up her bag.

"I missed ya too Lils." Miley took the blonde's hand gently and blushed as she caught Lilly's eye.

"Did ya like the banner?" Ryan gestured to it; it was now crumpled on the floor where they had dropped it. He bent to pick it up.

"Say yes, we spent all night makin' that thing and we all know I'm no artist." Miley chuckled throatily as Ryan nodded furiously.

"I love it, it's very colourful. I didn't know you were going to meet me, I was all set to get a taxi." Lilly was aware that Miley still had hold of her hand and she allowed herself to be pulled towards the exit.

"Couldn't let ya do that now could we!" Ryan led them to the pick-up point and stopped by a beat up chevy. "Your carriage awaits Miss." He gestured to the metal monster with a flourish and threw her bag into the back as the girls climbed up front. Lilly had only been in Ryan's truck once before when he took her with him to buy gardening supplies. The strong smell of earth had invaded the cab, overpowering the faint scent of rust, leather and cologne. It remained now, and Lilly swivelled to look in the back. Sure enough, there were still smatterings of mud and a few shovels next to her bag. The engine idled loudly as Ryan waited to exit the parking lot, Lilly began to fiddle with the car stereo, smiling triumphantly when she found a good station. They tore off down the highway, singing to Keith Urban as the city melted away. Miley gently took Lilly's hand; she didn't need to say anything Lilly knew what it meant. Three weeks had been far too long without this kind of contact. It was a gentle reassurance that things had not changed between them, there were still unspoken feelings that needed to be addressed but they didn't need to rush. It was enough for the moment.

Lilly felt a surge of excitement as Ryan drove past Beech Creek's town sign. It was the kind of excitement you only get from returning home after a while away. It bubbles in your chest and pulls your mouth into a grin because you know that your back where you're supposed to be. With each familiar landmark; a tree, a sign, a turn in the road, the excitement only grows. Somewhere along the way it turns to euphoria and as you pull up outside your home your heart swells and you say those three immortal words.

"Home sweet home." Lilly slid out of the car after Miley and slammed the door. Ryan had already gotten her bag out of the back and was following them to Lilly's door. The lock clicked and the door swung open, Lilly strolled through to the living room and flopped onto the sofa with a sigh. Miley chuckled.

"Right well I gotta go, Hank needs some help buildin' his shed." Ryan placed her bag next to the sofa before Lilly jumped up to give him a hug. "Nice to have ya back flower."

"Thanks for picking me up, I'll see you tomorrow?" Lilly let him go and watched as he headed for the door.

"Sure, I'll be around. See ya later ladies." He pulled the door shut behind him.

"I'd better go too, let ya settle in." Miley started towards the door.

"What? No, stay." Lilly grabbed her hand as she brushed past the sofa and looked up at her with pleading eyes. "Come on, I missed you."

"Missed ya too." Miley weakened under Lilly's spell and sighed. "Fine, but what about ya unpacking?"

"Meh, i'll do it tomorrow." Lilly tugged her down onto the sofa and promptly snuggled into her side. Miley's brown curls tickled her nose and she wrinkled it as she smiled.

"I'm glad you're home." Miley rested her head on top of the blonde's and began to play with their entwined fingers. "So how was the trip?"

"Hell."

"Really?"

"Well... no." Miley chuckled. "But I hate planes and there were lots of planes. Plus, I didn't have you there as my human stress ball. Next time, I'm going to kidnap you."

"Ya won't need to kidnap me; I'll go anywhere as long as it's with you." At her words Miley felt Lilly snuggle further into her side. "So I caught all your shows, answer me this. That talk show guy in Seattle... was it a wig?"

"I don't know!" Lilly jerked with laughter and turned to face her. "I was so totally thinking that through the entire interview."

"I could tell, ya were really eyein' it up, it was so funny."

"Oh god, I was obvious?"

"Nah, I just know ya so well."

"I know. I honestly couldn't decide though, I mean, it looked like real hair but... in the shape of a wig."

"Maybe he just goes to a really bad hair stylist."

"Maybe, poor guy." She settled back against Miley with a giggle. "So did you really catch all my shows?"

"Of course, wouldn't miss them."

"But I thought you had Hannah stuff to do?"

"I did but I can take a break to see my girl on TV can't I? Besides, Hannah stuff was borin'. It was all meetin's and paperwork for the benefit concert."

"Ooh when is it?"

"December 20th. I hope Lola's free that day, Hannah really wants her there."

"She wouldn't miss it. She can't let her girl perform on live TV without cheering her on after all." Miley squeezed Lilly's hand as she smiled at her.

"I guess a shopping trip is in order then."

"I guess so; Lola can't let the side down. Listen as much as I hate to move, I really need a shower."

"Oh that's ok; I'll leave ya to it." Miley stood up and stretched.

"Hang on; look it's still only 2:30 PM. How about we have a lazy afternoon watching TV?"

"I think there's a Buffy the Vampire Slayer marathon on Fox."

"Perfect, I'll go get my shower and get some pj's on, you do the same and come back ASAP cowgirl."

"Sounds like a plan. I'll get popcorn and gummy bears."

"I'll order pizza when you get back."

"Sweet. See ya in a bit!" Miley left, not before giving Lilly a quick hug. With her gone Lilly headed upstairs, ignoring her bulging travel bag, and disappeared into the bathroom.

Lilly sighed with pleasure as the hot spray hit her skin. There was just something about it being her own shower which made it all that more relaxing. She titled her head back and squeezed her eyes shut as she massaged shampoo into her hair. The room filled with the smell of apples as she rinsed it out and reached for her sponge. She hummed cheerfully as she squeezed some shower gel onto the sponge and soaped herself, being careful not to slip when she did her feet. Once she was covered in foam she stepped back under the spray to rinse and then shut the water off. Her humming turned into a song as she stepped out of the tub, grabbed a towel and headed for her bedroom. She took her time blow drying her hair, letting it stay wavy and then started to hunt for suitable pyjamas. I was a tough decision but she finally chose her Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle pants and shirt. They were childish but surprisingly enough she had bought them only that year. The baggy bottoms were bright yellow with pizzas and the Turtles all over them, and the shirt was white with the slogan 'Turtle Power!" emblazoned on the chest. She pulled them on and grabbed a pair of socks from her drawer just as the door knocked. She pulled on her socks as she hopped out of her room and headed for the stairs, stopping to pull the other on at the top and then flying down the stairs like a madwoman. She pulled open the door with a grin and almost died.

"Hey there ma'am we're from the church committee and... oh I'm sorry is this a bad time?" It seemed like the whole committee had chosen to do the rounds that afternoon and all of them were now standing on Lilly's porch eyeing her brightly patterned pants.

"Oh no, sorry I just erm- I'm just having a lazy afternoon. I've been on a business trip you see." She shuffled uneasily and looked at them as if she wasn't wishing that her baggy pants would just swallow her.

"Ah well, we just wanted to let ya know that were havin' a Halloween dance in the church hall and we were lookin' for some volunteers. See it's goin' to be pretty time consumin' and we need folks to help with the judging."

"Judging?"

"Yer, y'know the pumpkin carvin', costume, apple bobbin'. So if ya have any time to spare we'd really appreciate your help on this ma'am."

"Of course." Lilly spotted Miley heading up the road. She had been smart enough to wear a long coat over her pj's and Lilly sulked inwardly. "Actually, I know a friend who'd be happy to help out too. Put us down for the bob apple."

"Oh that's swell! Here write your names down please." He handed his clipboard over with a smile and Lilly quickly scribbled down her name followed by Miley's. "Thank ya very much ma'am, we'll be in touch."

"My pleasure, bye." She watched smugly as they walked down the path and headed off, stopping only to greet Miley who was now at the top of Lilly's path. She saw a few people lower their gaze to Miley's legs; her pyjamas were evident though not as colourful as Lilly's.

"Hey Lils what was that all about?" She followed Lilly inside and shut the door, shrugging her coat off and hanging it over the stair banister.

"Just the church council, they wanted help with the Halloween dance so I signed us up."

"What? Us?"

Yep, you don't mind do you?"

"No! Course not, I just didn't realise I'd actually have to move off the sofa this Halloween."

"Well it'll be fun; we're in charge of bob apple. So I have plenty of chances to get you wet." She grinned at Miley who quirked an eyebrow and giggled.

"I bet that's what you say to all the girls Truscott."

"Wha- I didn't- don't be gross!" Her cheeks flamed and she slapped Miley's arm.

"Oh, ya know I'm only teasin'. Now stop blushing, you're clashing with your erm... interesting pjs."

"Shut up, these are great! Turtles rocked."

"Yer when we were like five. Where the hell did ya even get them from?"

"Wouldn't you like to know. Jealous much Miss Spotty-pants?" Lilly cast an appraising look over Miley's pyjamas. The bottoms were bright pink with white polkadots and her shirt was black with the phrase "Dotty about you." across it. "Wow, cheesy Miles, real cheesy."

"Yer well, I like cheese!"

"Stop talking about cheese you're making me hungry." Lilly grinned at Miley who rolled her eyes, and jumped over to the phone. She dialled the number for the pizza place and ordered while Miley flicked the TV on and found the Buffy marathon. When Lilly hung up she put the phone back in its cradle then launched herself over the back of the sofa and landed next to Miley.

"Watch it! Ya nearly landed on me!"

"Trying to say I'm heavy?"

"Well ya are!"

"You calling me fat??!"

"What? No! Shut up Lils, you're such a dork."

"I know." She snuggled against Miley's side "So which season is this?"

"Six, I'm not sure what episode it is." The brunette started to trace circles on Lilly's arm.

"That's fine, I like this season."

"Yer." Miley trailed off as they were both sucked into the show. About halfway through Miley remembered what episode it was. It was episode 19, Willow and Tara have just gotten back together when Tara gets shot and Willow goes evil. Miley snuggled into Lilly a little more and Lilly squeezed her hand. When Tara got shot Lilly stiffened.

"I hate this episode."

"Me too."

"They were so cute together."

"I know."

The episode had just finished when there was a knock at the door. Lilly handed Miley the money to pay while she went into the kitchen to get drinks. When she came back Miley was already sat down, the pizza box open in front of her and the next episode had started. Three hours later and they were sprawled on the sofa, pressed against each other, Miley had her feet propped up on the coffee table next to the empty pizza box and the sweet wrappers. The final episode was coming to a close and Lilly yawned sleepily, cuddling closer to Miley.

"Miles?"

"Yer Lils?"

"I'll always protect you y'know."

"I know." She kissed the top of the blonde's head and listened as her breathing slowed. When she began to snore lightly Miley pulled the blanket up over her further and smiled in the dim light.

"Home sweet home."


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: Is it wrong that I'm glad I'm ill so I can stay off uni and write this instead? I think so lol. Anyway, I decided to get cracking, can't have you lovely people waiting around any longer.

Remember; read and review please! It makes me smile.

Disclaimer: Hannah Montana is not mine *sigh* I did however make up the Swamp Monster song so MUWAHAHA! It is mineee, all mineee!

Fate

Her face twisted into a grimace as she plunged her hand into the cavity and pulled out a handful of slimy flesh. She threw it onto the countertop and hesitated before plunging both hands in and scooping out more, pulling hard as it resisted. The stringy veins snapped sickeningly and wet trails ran down her arms. It collected in sticky puddles at her elbows and began to congeal beneath her finger nails but it was almost done. One more handful was all it took. She reached for the butcher knife and started to hack away at the skin; creating sad eyes, a nose and a downturned mouth. Lilly set the knife down and flicked her hair out of her eyes before admiring her handiwork. Her pumpkin was going to look great. She grinned as she carried it into the sitting room and placed it on her coffee table which sported a black skeleton cloth. The pumpkin took pride of place in the centre and she hurried to add the final touches. She trailed a handful of pumpkin innards out of its gaping mouth and onto the plastic cloth. She placed an empty whiskey bottle on its side next to the pumpkin and then put a lit candle inside it. At last her drunken pumpkin was finished. It was a design she had come up with at university and had recreated every year since with various poisons. Her favourite had been the year with the tequila bottle; she had added a little sombrero and a marker pen moustache. It didn't take her long to clean up and she was soon on the sofa with a lollipop and the Goosebumps marathon. The sky outside was dull and grey but Lilly had a few lamps and her pumpkin to light her house. She had swapped the normal bulbs for coloured ones which cast red, purple and green glows over her decorations. She had gone a little crazy again but it was her favourite holiday. Outside, she heard her witch cackle and saw her animatronic vampire lurch from his coffin. Someone shrieked and began to hammer at her door. Lilly giggled as she went to answer it, she knew that shriek. Miley still had her fist raised when Lilly opened the door; her narrowed eyes were locked on the vampire's coffin.

"BOO!" Lilly grabbed Miley's waist and the brunette shrieked again as she tore her eyes away from the coffin. She beat Lilly off with the bag she was holding in her left hand and scowled at her.

"Lilly! That was evil; ya scared me half to death."

"Oh come on, it's Halloween!"

"True but that vampire was far too real." She shuddered and cast it another glance. "Ya goin' to let me in or what?"

"It should look real, I paid good money for that thing and that depends whether you brought tricks or treats..."

"Erm... treats and maybe a few tricks. But the good kind!" She thrust the open bag at Lilly who peered inside.

"Oooh gummy worms and face paint. Welcome to Tricky Truscott's House of Horrors!"

Lilly bowed low as she gestured Miley inside. The girl stepped over the threshold nervously and examined the ceiling before moving into the lounge. She knew what Tricky Truscott was like, once she had rigged up a bucket of plastic bugs to fall on her just because she had wanted to 'get into the Halloween spirit!' Miley was relieved to see that there were no buckets but she still examined the room carefully; there could be hidden tricks behind the cobwebs, rubber bats and broomsticks. Her eyes were drawn to the life size coffin in the far corner.

"Don't worry..." A voice in Miley's ear made her jump and she span to face a grinning Lilly. "There's nothing in that one. Well not nothing but nothing scary."

"What is in it then?"

As an answer Lilly strolled over to it, grinned at Miley and then jerked the heavy lid open. It swung to the side and revealed shelves set into the red satin lining. On the shelves were rows of liquor bottles, glasses and cocktail shakers. Miley watched; mouth agape as Lilly folded down a panel to make a table and set a glass on it.

"Fancy a drink?"

"Oh my gosh Lils."

"Like it? Or is it a little weird?"

"It's very weird but... it is pretty cool."

"I saw it online and I thought it would be so cool at Halloween. This is its first so we should christen it. Whiskey?" She held the bottle up and waited for the nod from Miley.

"It's only noon Lilly."

"So? It's Halloween! I was just about to make my toffee apple cider. Besides we can drink now and sober up in time for the kiddies' party and then get drunk again tonight. It's what makes Halloween so fun after all."

"I guess so. Fine, but ya have to let me help with the cider!"

"Sure thing cowgirl." She poured two shooters of whiskey and handed one to Miley. "I'll even let you stir. Okay, so a toast to my awesome coffin cabinet; may it bring years of spookatcular parties. Happy Halloween!" They threw back their whiskey and put the glasses on the cabinet's shelf.

"Spooktacular?" Miley raised an eyebrow.

"What? It's a fun word."

"Ya say it every Halloween."

"I know." She grinned at the brunette and left the cabinet open as she skipped into the kitchen. Miley followed, rolling her eyes and dumped her bag on the kitchen counter. Lilly was already putting a large cauldron on top of her stove; it sat over the centre ring as it was the only one large enough.

"A cauldron?!"

"Yup."

"Where the hell did ya find a cauldron? Actually, don't tell me. Same place that did the coffin drinks cabinet right?"

"Wrong. It was from a shop back in New York, they did all sorts of witchy stuff. Cool right?"

"Very cool. So ya make your cider in it?"

"Yup, thought it looked spookier than a pan." They chuckled. "So you want to help?"

"Sure!" Miley leapt off the counter where she had been perched and stood at Lilly's side. "What should I do?"

"Okay well first you can pour in the cider." Lilly pointed at the 2litre bottle on the side. I'll turn the gas on so it starts to heat." Miley uncapped the bottle and started to pour. Lilly fiddled with the stove's knobs and a ring of flame ignited around the bottom of the cauldron. It was made from stainless steel which had been coated black so it didn't take too long to heat up. The last few drops of cider made it into the pan, which was close to full and Lilly handed Miley a bottle of dark rum. Miley followed her instructions and added the measures. It was supposed to be roughly two shots per cup but she added a few more for luck. Lilly added some vanilla extract and then her favourite ingredient; toffee sauce. She grinned as she squeezed it out onto a spoon for measuring. It wasn't long before she got impatient and just squeezed half the bottle in. The cider turned a light brown colour as Miley began to stir it. Lilly was distracted by the task of licking the toffee sauce from her hand. Miley stirred excitedly as the cider began to bubble.

"Hubble bubble toil and trouble..."

"... fire burn and cauldron bubble!" Lilly let out a witchy cackle and offered Miley the toffee coated spoon that she had already taken a lick of. "Want a lick?"

Miley grinned devilishly as she leaned slowly towards the spoon in Lilly's sticky hand. Her eyes were locked on the blonde's and as she slowly licked the spoon with the tip of her tongue Lilly's eyes went wide. Miley drew back, grinning and resumed stirring.

"I think the ciders ready."

"Yea-yeah?" Lilly shook the dazed expression off her face and cleared her throat.

"Yer."

"Okay, I'll turn the heat down and get the mugs."

Once the heat was lower and they had their drinks they trooped into the living room to watch Goosebumps and, in Lilly's case, inhale an entire bag of gummy worms. They were on their second mug of hot toffee apple cider by the time the next episode started. It was 'Welcome to Dead House" and Miley cringed; she hated this one.

"This one freaks me out."

"Why?"

"The kids... they're dead but not dead."

"I was always confused as to whether they were vampires or zombies or some sort of weird hybrid."

"I'd say weird hybrid which just makes them scarier."

"Wimp..."

Miley scowled at Lilly but raised her mug to her lips instead of retaliating. She let the warm alcohol wash over her taste buds and sighed. She knew it was a Halloween tradition in the making.

"Like it?" Lilly glanced at Miley.

"Yer, can we make it every Halloween?"

"Sure and anytime in between." They shared a smile before turning back to the TV.

They finished their drinks just at the episode was finishing and when Miley stood up she felt a little dizzy.

"Woah! I feel kinda tipsy, that's bad. I only had two."

"It's because it's hot, I think it makes it a littleee stronger."

"I guess, and the extra shots of rum probably didn't help." She grinned wickedly at Lilly.

"Ooh bad little Miley. Want another? I think there's enough for a few more."

"Great. Oh what costumes are we going to wear? I kinda forgot about that until now."

"Oh yeah. Hmm... guess it's time to break out the costume box."

Ten minutes later and they were in the kitchen nursing another mug of cider while inspecting the contents of Lilly's costume box. They had it spread out over the counter in the centre of the room and Miley held up a pair of tiny, gold PVC hot pants with her thumb and index finger.

"Um Lils..." She raised her eyebrows and looked at the blonde. "Care to explain?"

"Oh!" Lilly started to laugh. "It was a Rocky Horror Picture Show themed house party. I went as Columbia, y'know I can't sing but I did bust a few moves in those things." She watched as Miley examined the pants again and grinned. "Maybe I'll show you sometime..."

"Wha-" Miley's head shot up at her words and she started to turn scarlet. Lilly met her eyes before turning back to her own pile of clothing; pay back was always fun.

"Wouldn't it be funny if we went as Hannah and Lola?" Lilly pulled a blonde Rapunzel wig on and added some shades. "I totally look the part."

"Christ that would be one eventful dance. Besides, I can't pull off neon pink wigs and mismatched clothes like you can Lillypie."

"No one can, I am the queen of unco-ordination."

"Is that even a word?"

"No idea." She threw the wig and shades onto the counter.

"Ooh! How about witches?" She pulled a pointed hat on. "Come here my pretty; let me turn you into a frog." She crooned evilly and tried to do a cackle.

"That would be cool; you could paint your face green! Not sure if twin witches is a good idea though, mainly because there's only one hat."

"Awrrr..." Miley pouted, she looked ridiculous in her hat.

"It's cool I'll go as... a vampire!" Lilly whirled a black sheet around her shoulders and wiggled her eyebrows at Miley. "I vant to suck your bluuddd!"

"No!" Miley shrieked as Lilly dove at her, aiming for her neck. She started to tickle the southern girl mercilessly until all she could do was gasp for air. "Lilly, ya evil, evil little dork. No vampires!"

"Fine." Lilly threw the sheet down and jumped onto her stool. She folded her arms across her chest and pouted. "Meanie."

"Moody." Miley knew she was only kidding but she still didn't like Lilly looking sad. She sifted through the pile and found a white sheet. "How about a ghost?" Lilly just pouted harder so Miley threw the sheet over her own head and started to creep towards Lilly making wailing noises. She couldn't see a thing through the sheet so she had no idea where she was going. "Woooo! I'm a ghost. Woooo-OW!" Miley's shin collided with something hard but she heard Lilly giggle.

"Oh I'm sorry Miles; are you ok?" Lilly pulled the sheet off Miley and brushed her hair out of her face.

"I'm fine." She grinned at the blonde, just glad that her goofing around had broken her sulking. "Wanna be a ghost?"

"I'll be a ghost but no sheet."

"But its classic! How can you be a ghost without a sheet?!"

"Easy, I'll just wear all white and shove my head in a vat of flower or something."

"Ooh we can find you some chains!"

"Chains? You want to chain me up Miles?" Lilly wiggled her eyebrows suggestively and Miley's shot up to meet her hairline.

"Oh shut up, you wish. Do you have any?" Miley tried to ignore the blush that had blossomed over her cheeks.

"Erm... yeah!" Lilly grinned, knowing it sound a little dodgy. "There's some in the closet under the stairs."

"What?" Miley followed Lilly to the stairs and watched as she rooted through a box, she practically had her whole head in there before she let out a muffled "Aha!"

"I knew they were here somewhere." She turned around with a big chunky, plastic chain in her hands with two sets of shackles. "I didn't know where to put them today. They went on my skeleton but he had a little too much fun last Halloween and ended up taking a trip down the garbage chute."

"Niiice."

"Ok, let's get changed!"

"It's not even three yet! We don't have to be there until six."

"I know but I like dressing up." She winked at Miley before running up the stairs. "Come on, I'll find you something witchy to wear."

Miley wasted no time in following and soon found herself in Lilly's bedroom. While the blonde buried herself in her closet Miley took the time to admire her room. She quickly spotted pictures of them on Lilly's wall along with some of people she didn't know. On her shelves there was the Planet Hollywood hat, Finley the toy shark and a hell of a lot of books. There were also several framed posters that were signed by various cast members; they were obviously the ones Lilly had written and worked on. Just as Miley was about to investigate further Lilly came out of the closet clutching a pile of white and black clothing to her chest. She flattened it down with her chin and blew a stand of hair from her face as she walked to her bed and threw the clothes down. Together the examined the scattered clothes until they had decided on suitable outfits, then Lilly grabbed her stuff and headed to the bathroom to change. Miley quickly stripped and pulled on the plain black dress and long black cardigan Lilly had found. Miley's own boots were tan and so she had borrowed a pair of Lilly's black pixie boots. She was just examining herself in the full length mirror when Lilly called through the door.

"You decent Miles?"

"Yer come in." Lilly stepped in carrying her clothes under her arm. She was now wearing white skinny jeans a white long sleeved blouse and white converse.

"Ooh lookin' gooood Miles. Want me to paint your face?" She chucked her clothes in the laundry hamper and picked up the green face paint.

"Sure, though I reckon it'll run off by the time we have to go."

"Don't doubt the staying power of Snaziroo face paint my dear. If it does we'll just touch it up." With that she set to work greening Miley's face, hands and some of her neck; as the dress had a high neckline that wasn't much. The paint dried quickly and Miley was soon no longer leaving smears of green wherever she touched. Lilly outlined her eyes in black and gave her purple lips before touching up her nail varnish. It had already been black but it had a few chips. While Miley was flapping her hands around Lilly began her own face. She painted her face, neck and her slightly exposed chest white before doing her hands. She joined Miley in flapping around and even had a bit of a mad dance with her before doing her eyes black with grey shadows and then doing her lips grey.

"Not bad."

"Just your hair now and you'll be a real ghostie."

"To the batcave!" Lilly ran to the door but stopped to look at Miley who was looking confused. "I meant the garden."

"You're such a dork." She shook her head as they made their way outside, stopping in the kitchen for a giant bag of flour. When they were out of the grass Lilly bent over and began to slop handfuls of flour onto her hair. The slight breeze sent flurries of flour all over the grass. Half of the bag was on Lilly's head before she turned to Miley for approval.

"Very good, ya look terrifying."

"Awesome!" She pumped floury fist into the air before dusting herself off and heading inside to cook pizza and watch more TV.

Two hours, two pizzas and two Goosebumps specials later, the girls were getting ready to leave for the dance. Miley was touching up her lipstick while Lilly was re-flouring her hair in the garden. She came inside, a trail of flour behind her and grabbed the hair spray off the counter. Miley shook her head as Lilly became blurry through a haze of hairspray and came into the living room coughing. She had backcombed her hair so it now resembled a big white bird's nest. Miley picked up the little light up cauldron she had brought with her and watched Lilly put her shackles around her ankles and wrists. It was going to very interesting to see her walk.

"You're going to fall on your pasty little face with those on." The witch gestured to the ankle shackles.

"Yeah we'll see about th-" The ghost had taken two steps and then stumbled into the sofa. She looked at her companion nonchalantly before removing the ankle shackles and tossing them aside.

"Better." The witch's eyes ran over the ghost's outfit once more. "Maybe you should wear that white cardigan we found in the costume box. It's pretty chilly."

"No way! Ghosts don't wear cardigans! We are far too spooktacular for that." She picked up her little flashing pumpkin and headed for the door, stopping to stow her keys and money in her jean pockets.

"Fine, it's your funeral." The witch stepped outside as the ghost raised an eyebrow at her comment. She smiled smugly as she saw the ghost shiver at the cold breeze. "Silly Lilly..."

"Come on Mystic Meg, we have kiddiwinks to scare." She stopped laughing evilly at the witch's glare. "I meant erm... we have kiddiwinks to y'know... stuff with candy?"

Miley the witch just rolled her eyes and started towards town, her ghostly pal Lilly running to catch up as her chains clinked.

The barn was truly 'spooktacular.' Outside they were greeted by pumpkins, scarecrows and a foggy graveyard. The door was decorated with cardboard gate posts with a sign saying "Enter at your own risk!" Lilly grinned manically as she pushed it open and got her first look at the inside. Her eyes grew wide as saucers and Miley quickly saw why. The rafter hung with bats, cobwebs and a witch compete with a broomstick. Someone had even painted a large moon with an evil face on the roof. Along the far wall there were tables of food and drinks, the punch was in cauldrons a bit like Lilly's. The pumpkin carving contest was being set up, people were just beginning to arrive and place their pumpkins on the table to be judged. The back wall had numerous creepy cardboard cut-outs of castles and forests which would serve as a background for the winner's pictures. Games; such as pin the tail on the werewolf and of course, bob apple were along the other wall and at the very back was the stage. It was decked out like a graveyard and several instruments were sitting amongst the tombstones. The witch and ghost made their way over to a scarecrow who was at the pumpkin table.

"Hey Ryan, happy Halloween!" Lilly grabbed him from behind and he jumped a foot in the air.

"Jesus! Ya scared me."

"Don't worry she's been hyper all day." Miley gave him a reassuring pat and grinned as his costume malted a few strands of hay.

"Well I guess it is Halloween and the kids do get awfully excited..."

"Hey! I'm not a kid!" Lilly tried to pout but was distracted by the arrival of hundreds of orange and black balloons. "Oooh balloons!"

Miley and Ryan just shared a look as Lilly watched the balloons being loaded into a net that had been lowered from the ceiling.

"So ya best head over to your stall, I'll see ya later probably. Besides the kids are only here til ten then we can party."

"Sounds like a plan. I'd better drag our pale pal away before she steals the balloons." She grabbed Lilly's arm and started to steer her towards the wooden barrels of water under the "Apple Swamp" sign.

"Um Miles, what are we- oh. Right, apples."

"Apples!" A crowd of excited kids started to gather as soon as they had taken up their posts. The girls gave each other a grin before turning to the kids and starting the mayhem.

"Right kids, who here wants a nice juicy apple?" There were shouts from all around as Miley started to count heads and apples.

"Good! But, to get an apple you must be brave and fish for it in this big barrel of swamp water!" Lilly put on her best storytelling voice as she took over from Miley.

"Ewwwwwwwww!" The assembled kids yelled excitedly.

"Slimy, yucky things swim in the swamp. You have to be quick or they might... NIBBLE YOUR NOSE!" She let out an evil laugh and wiggled her fingers at the nearest kids who shrieked and giggled.

"Lilly!" Miley looked at her in horror but relaxed when she saw the kids laughing.

"Who wants to go first?" None of the kids stuck their hands up. "Ok twiglets, shall we make Miley go first?" She pointed at the witch to her right.

"No, no way Lilly!" But the more she protested the more the kids cheered and so Lilly dragged her towards the barrel and plonked half a dozen apples into the water, which was clear and very, very cold. She gave Miley a smile which was returned with a murderous glare. "I'll get ya for this Lillian."

"Now, Now Milean, not in front of the children! Hands behind your back please andddd... GO!"

With a loud cheer from the kids Miley gritted her teeth and lowered her head into the barrel. She set her eyes on a nice red apple that was floating stalk up and angled her head towards it. She took a snap at it but it bobbed below the surface and she managed to splash herself. The kids cheered and laughed harder so she decided to fool around a bit. She made a big show of snapping like a maniac for the apple and each time she would miss and splash herself a little more. Finally, after splashing herself a little too enthusiastically she grabbed the stalk in her teeth and straightened up. The kids cheered like crazy when they saw the apple in Miley's mouth and she tried to grin around the fruit. She took it out of her mouth and grinned at Lilly who offered her a towel to wipe her face on. She dabbed gingerly, afraid she had washed her face paint off but to her surprise there were only a few smears on the towel. She turned to face the growing crowd and watched Lilly begin to let the kids get their own apples. Something in her chest went fuzzy as she watched Lilly joke around with the kids and lead them in a silly song about a slimy swamp monster.

"Down in the swamp where nobody goes

There's a slimy swamp monster nibbling on toes

With a nibble chomp here and a nibble chomp there

If you go down there you better beware!"

Miley chuckled and joined in when they sang it through again. She placed a hand on the small of Lilly's back and smiled at her when she looked around questioningly.

"Ya sure are somethin' Lilly."

"I know, you sure are something for putting up with me."

"I know, but I wouldn't have it any other way."

Their conversation was interrupted by the arrival of more kids and another rendition of Lilly's swamp monster song. At ten minutes to ten Miley and Lilly had the last batch of kids in front of them. They were all happily munching on their apples and Lilly was singing yet again. As she finished Miley looked at the last remaining apple and a sly smile slide onto her face.

"Look kids, it's nearly time to go home but I know there's one person who hasn't won herself an apple yet." Lilly looked at her in horror, she knew Miley was up to something. "Lilly! Quick you'd better bob and see if you can get the last apple. Give her a cheer kids!" As the kids started to chant Lilly's name Miley threw the last apple into the barrel and pulled Lilly towards it. Lilly glared at her once before shrugging and plunging her head into the barrel. She grabbed the apple in record time and came up dry. She plucked it from her mouth and started to do a happy dance.

"No fair..." Miley grinned evilly. "She didn't get wet! Quick, get her!"

"What- NOOOOOO!" Lilly shrieked as Miley flung a handful of cold water in her face, soon the kids caught on flicking tiny handfuls at her. Lilly was a good sport, squealing dramatically and finally chasing Miley around the barrel. "Come here Miles! What, don't you want a hug? Don't you love me anymore?"

"Not when you're all soggy and floury I don't!" She couldn't keep away forever though and Lilly soon caught her and wrapped her in a bear hug. The kids cheered like crazy and gave Lilly hi-5's before their parents came to take them home. The adults took one look at Lilly and Miley before they started to laugh and thanked them before heading home. Miley wondered how many times their kids had sung the swamp monster song in that short time.

"They're going to kill ya Lils."

"Huh? Who? What? Why?"

"The parents, you've gotten that swamp monster song stuck in their kids' heads. I bet they've sang it constantly on the way home." She handed Lilly a towel and chuckled as the blonde dried herself.

"But it's such a good song!" She chucked the sopping towel at Miley's face but she dodged it. "You're not the only one who can write hit's _Hannah_."

"Shush!" She looked around and was relieved that everyone else seemed to be on the dance floor or at the newly set up alcohol table. "Anyway, _Lola_, you're shirts gone see though."

"Wha- oh my god! MILEY!" She tried to shield herself with one hand while her cheeks turned scarlet and swatted her friend with the other.

"No wonder all those dad's were smiling at ya..." She sniggered as Lilly grimaced in horror. "Bet ya wish you'd worn that cardigan now don't ya?"

"No! I mean yes! Eurgh! I'm going to kill you Miley Ray." Lilly grabbed a white table cloth from the lucky dip table and attempted to turn it into a cape.

"Ooh ya double named me, now I'm in for it." Miley gasped in mock horror but took pity on her friend and helped her cover herself up. "Don't worry it'll dry pretty soon."

"Best had or I'm going to... to..." Lilly paused in thought as Miley watched her with a raised eyebrow. "... do something really bad to you!"

"What flour me to death? Come on pasty, let's dance." She grabbed Lilly by the chain attached to her shackles and dragged her onto the dance floor. The band began to play their own version of Monster Mash and someone set off the fog machines. It billowed over the graveyard stage and crept out into the dance floor. Soon their feet disappeared under a thick layer of it and it began to swirl around their knees. The night wound on and soon Lilly discarded her makeshift cape, she returned to find Miley dancing with a scarecrow, Frankenstein and a werewolf. Ryan, Hank and Earl started the time warp off and soon the whole barn was shaking. The next song was much slower, a cover version of The Spill Canvas – This Is For Keeps, and Lilly wrapped Miley in a dry embrace. She felt Miley smile into her neck and then sneeze as she inhaled a few pounds of flour. They laughed and smiled at each other with their eyes locked. Finally, after waiting all night, Lilly got what she wanted. The remaining balloons were freed from their net and fell onto the slowly swaying crowd. Lilly almost let go of Miley to grab one. Almost.


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: Apologies for taking so long to update but uni calls. This chapter is pretty short but hopefully you'll like it and it will tide you over till I update again in a few weeks.

Read and review please =]

Disclaimer: I own far too much HM merchandise for a 19 year old...

Fate

Thick grey smoke curled on the breeze above Lilly's house. Miley watched it as she calmly walked across the road, around the back of the house and into Lilly's garden. She saw the blonde tossing more leaves onto the large fire as Ryan stoked it with a fallen branch. Both of them were wrapped in thick coats similar to Miley's own. Miley made her way over to them and caught Lilly's eye. Lilly casually leant on her rake and gave the southern girl a grin.

"Well lookee here, someone came to lend a hand!"

"Hey guys, I come bearin' good news."

"Oooh what? Tell me, tell me!" Lilly dropped her rake and hopped excitedly. Ryan chuckled before following suit.

"Tell me, tell me, tell meeee!" He grabbed Miley's hand and punctuated each 'me' with a jump, pulling her with him.

"Hey!" Lilly folded her arms and pouted as Miley and Ryan giggled.

"Well, this won't be very interestin' for ya Ryan but Lils, guess who I got a call from?"

"Um... your uncle Earl?"

"Noo, Oliver!" She grinned at Lilly who widened her eyes in surprise.

"Ollie? Wow I haven't heard from him in a while. How's he doing?"

"He's great. He tried to call ya before me actually but clearly ya didn't hear ya phone out here."

"Oops. So why'd he call?" Lilly led Miley over to her porch steps and sat down while Ryan started raking up another pile of leaves.

"Ya remember how he was gettin' serious with his girlfriend Lauren?" Miley sat down next to her.

"Yeah..." Lilly didn't give her a chance to reply. "Oh my god he proposed???!"

"No."

"Oh. What then?" Lilly frowned thoughtfully.

"She's pregnant; Oliver's goin' to be a dad!" Miley grinned as Lilly's mouth fell open.

"OH MY GOD!"

"I know!"

"OH MY GOD!"

"I know!"

"OH MY- ooh I need to call him." Lilly leapt to her feet with an excited 'eep' and ran into the house. Miley rolled her eyes and went to help Ryan rake up the last few leaves. Inside the kitchen Lilly hopped onto the counter and dialled Oliver's number, he answered on the fourth ring.

"Hello?" His voice seemed deeper than Lilly remembered, though she had spoken to him a month earlier.

"Hey Ollie, it's me."

"Well hey there Me! Long time no speak; how's things?"

"No complaints. A little birdie told me you have some preeetty big news..."

"Was this little birdie wearing cowgirl boots?"

"As a matter of fact it was, yeah."

"Miley. I did try to call you."

"I know; I was outside so I didn't hear the phone."

"Oh. So yeah, I'm going to be a dad! How awesome is that?!" The excitement in his voice was infectious and Lilly grinned at how happy he sounded.

"Sooo awesome! I can't believe it Ollie! When did you guys find out?"

"Just this morning, Lauren thought she was last week but took the test this morning. We wanted to be sure y'know. We told our parents and then I tried to call you, then Miley. I knew she'd pass on the message."

"She's handy like that, it's the only reason I keep her around."

"Ha! Oh sure it is, it's got nothing to do with the fact you're crazy about her."

"Whattt! I'm not!" Lilly's heart flipped and she chewed her lip in thought. Were her feelings really that strong?

"Don't deny it, I know the pair of you too well Lilster. Plus all those e-mails you've been sending me these past months, Miley this and Miley that. Not to mention that whenever you talk about her you're voice goes weird. Y'know smushy-weird." He chuckled as if he knew what she was thinking about.

"Fine, I'm crazy about her! Probably have been since high school." Her admittance released a flood of relief through her chest. She really was crazy about Miley but she didn't know if the feeling was mutual.

"Aha! Now that I saw coming. It's weird how you ended up living in the same town and everything after all that happened."

"I know; it's a little spooky."

"So... have you guys like, y'know..."

"You'd better not be asking me what I think you're asking me."

"What? I'm just wondering if my two attractive, female, best friends have f-"

"Bye Oliver!" Lilly ended the call abruptly and rolled her eyes. Trust Oliver to be a total guy about her life altering realisation. She put the phone back in its cradle and braced herself against the chill as she stepped out of her warm kitchen. As she bounced down the steps Ryan started to walk down the side of the house. He spotted her and gave her a wave before disappearing. Lilly came to a halt next to Miley who was neatening the pile of leaves. "Where's he off to?"

"He needs to get somethin' for your grass otherwise that's goin' to leave a big old brown patch." Miley pointed to the fire which was a few metres away from them.

"Oh." Lilly watched as Miley perfected her pile of leaves and put the rake back in Ryan's wheelbarrow. She casually stepped closer, innocently eyeing the pile. Slowly, her foot flicked the leaves, sending a handful flying.

"Lillian!" Miley's brow was furrowed but the corner of her mouth twitched in amusement.

"Yeah Milean?" She gave the southern girl her best innocent look as her foot once again shot out, this time peppering Miley's legs with leaves.

"Right, that's it." Miley made a sudden grab for Lilly who squeaked in surprise. Miley's arms wrapped around Lilly's waist and they overbalanced. Lilly waited for the ground to slam into her back but it never came. A chorus of crackling accompanied the girl's landing and an array of orange and gold marred their vision. They shook their heads to dislodge the leaves and paused. Eyes met and the giggling started. Lilly threw a handful of leaves into Miley's face and she grinned before retaliating. The fight quickly turned into a tickling war, Lilly's eyes were watering as Miley's fingers scrabbled at her sides. She tried to fight back but Miley was straddling her and had her pinned. Her breath was coming in short gasps and Miley finally stopped and sat back on Lilly's legs. She folded her arms and smirked triumphantly at the blonde.

"I win."

"You win." Lilly caught her breath and sat up. She was eye to eye with Miley and raised a hand to pick a leaf from her dark curls. She threw it aside and brushed Miley's hair away from her eyes. Her fingertips grazed her cheek, slowly running down her jaw before stopping. Lilly paused for a heartbeat, her eyes boring into Miley's, before she leaned forward and captured her lips. Her eyes fluttered closed as she felt Miley tremble slightly and respond. Lilly's hand cupped her cheek and she added pressure which Miley matched. Tentatively, Lilly nipped at Miley's bottom lip and she parted her lips as her hand clutched the back of Lilly's coat. Miley broke this kiss, pulling back to look into Lilly's eyes.

"I have to go." Lilly opened her mouth to protest. "You're coming home with me tomorrow for Thanksgiving. I'll pick you up at ten."

"Ok." Lilly ran the pad of her thumb over Miley's cheek before the southern girl pressed a soft, slow kiss to her lips and stood up. "See you tomorrow."

"Bye Lils." She flashed the blonde a grin before strolling around the side of the house. She couldn't help the silly grin that spread over her face as she walked past Ryan who was leaning against his truck. He gave a wave and watched her head off down the road. Ryan grabbed the can of Miracle Grow and headed towards the back yard. He came around the corner to see Lilly still sitting in the pile of leaves, staring at the fire with a goofy grin on her face.

"_About time_." He thought to himself before calling out to Lilly. "Hey flower..."


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: Greetings my lovelies! Sorry this is a shorty but it's part one of two... I spilt the chapter 'cause I've not written the other half and I felt evil for not posting in ages. So yer.

ANYWAY...

Disclaimer: If only.

Fate

"Lilly, think fast!"

She whipped around just in time to see Miley throw an onion at her. Fortunately for Lilly her aim was poor and the vegetable went sailing to her right, straight for the shelf of wine glasses. Miley's grin quickly turned to a look of horror as she saw where it was headed but Lilly's arm shot out as she lurched sideways and caught it.

"Truscott from downtown! Booyah" Lilly grinned and did a little celebratory dance as Miley's hands went to her heart.

"Jesus I thought those glasses were gonners. Nice save, Lils."

"What can I say, I've got skills." She smirked and turned back to the chopping board. "Thanks for the onion by the way."

"No problem. Ya sure ya want to cut that thing? My eyes always water like erm... a waterfall." Miley's nose wrinkled up as she failed to come up with an appropriate southern simile. Lilly chuckled.

"Sure, I know a trick." She wiped her hands on a cloth and picked up her bag from the sofa in the adjoining living room. Miley watched her curiously and blanched when she saw what Lilly pulled out.

"Are you kiddin' me?"

"Noope."

"Lilly..."  
"What? It works!" The blonde grinned as she snapped the scuba goggles into place and walked back to her chopping board.

"Ya look like such a dork. Why d'ya even have those?" The southern girl giggled as she pulled her phone from her pocket.

"Pfft. I knew we'd be helping your mamaw with the cooking and onions are always involved somehow so I brought them just in case." Her voice came out squeaky because of the plastic covering her nose. "I'm a cute dork though right?"

"You sound like Nose Whistle Wally!" Miley cracked up laughing as Lilly tried her best to pout. It only made her laugh harder.

"Oh sure! Well you won't be laughing when I've diced this onion and my eyes are still perfectly un-watery." She turned back to her vegetables as Miley calmed down.

"Oh god you're absolutely mental Lils. Can I get a picture please? This is just too funny." The brunette raised her phone as Lilly span around with a sigh.

"Sure, but it better not end up on the internet."

"It won't..."  
"Miley!"

"Ok, ok. I PROMISE it won't. Better?"

"Much."

"Good. Now give me a smile fishface." She snapped the picture and tucked her phone away safely. Her arms wrapped around Lilly's waist as she gave her a hug and then pulled away to look at her. "Yer, you're a cute dork."

"Good. Miles, about yesterday..."She paused and looked cautiously into Miley's eyes as her heart vibrated erratically in her chest. "I just thought you might like to know that I may quite possibly be crazy about you." Lilly bit her lip nervously as her hands twitched at Miley's hips.

"Really?"

"Yeah."

"Oh." Miley inhaled deeply and her tongue darted out to wet her lips before she spoke. "Good 'cause I may quite possibly be crazy about ya too." Lilly's eyes lit up behind her goggles as Miley leaned down and kissed her. She responded eagerly but the scuba goggles she was wearing made it a little awkward. They pulled apart grinning.

"Miley! Are ya here?" Mamaw's voice echoed down the hall.

"Yeah, I'm here Mamaw." The brunette stayed wrapped around Lilly as she turned her head towards the doorway.

"Come and help me with these bags would ya sweetpea?"

"Coming." She looked at Lilly and gave her a soft smile. "We can talk more later, ok?"

"Sure." They broke apart and Lilly turned back to the onion, watching Miley as best as she could from the corner of her eye. She started to hum cheerily as she peeled the onion and started to attack it with her knife. She was just done dicing half of it when Miley reappeared, carrying three grocery bags, followed by Mamaw.

"Hey Lilly, how are ya gettin' on with those veg-" The older woman stopped short as she saw her granddaughters best friend at the counter. "Should I ask why in the Sam Heck ya wearin' goggles?"

"I'm chopping an onion..." She jabbed her knife at the offending vegetable.

"She thinks it'll stop her marbles from gettin' all red and watery." Miley smirked as she placed the bags onto the counter and started to unpack.

"Marbles?" Mamaw raised an eyebrow at her granddaughter and set her own groceries down.

"She means my eyes. Personally I prefer to think of them as sparkly jewels." She grinned playfully at Miley. "You're just jealous because yours are like puddles."

"Puddles?" The brunette smirked as she brandished a roll of tinfoil at her friend. "That's not what you said the other week! You said they were like oceans."

"Yeah well now its puddles. Dirty puddles."

"Oh! Now you've had it!" Miley darted around the counter and began to hit Lilly lightly with the foil.

"Owww! Stop it you bully!" The blonde dropped her knife and picked up a spatula that was lying within her reach. Soon they were duelling energetically as Mamaw watched in amusement. She knew there was something different about the pair of them.

"Right! That's enough help from you two!" She flapped her arms at them and ushered them out onto the porch. She grabbed their weapons and headed back inside. "Go for a walk or somethin'. I'll call ya in when ya father an' Lorelei get here."

"Okay Mamaw." Miley smiled at her as she took their coats from by the door and handed Lilly hers. Mamaw closed the door and they shrugged their coats on, eager to fight the chill that had already begun to sink into them.

"Sooo, where should we go?" Lilly pulled her goggles off and shoved them into her deepest pocket.

"It's a little too cold to take Blue Jeans out but we could visit him, the barn's always pretty warm." Miley zipped her coat and took Lilly's hand.

"Sure, I mean. He's not so bad for a horse." She grinned before squeezing Miley's hand and heading to the barn.

Miley was right, the barn was warm. It probably had something to do with the huge barrels of hay that lined each of the walls. Lilly helped Miley pull the heavy door shut behind them. She examined the barn and smiled when she realised the chickens were still pecking in the dirt or huddled together in the makeshift hen house. She liked chickens.

"Miles, where do you get chickens from?" She wandered over to Blue Jeans' stable where Miley was feeding him handfuls of oats.

"Erm... farms. Why?" She looked at the blonde questioningly as the horse brayed softly.

"I want some." Lilly stopped next to the wall and leant back casually.

"Oh, well you'd have to build a coop an' learn how to look after them. It shouldn't be too hard though, I'm sure ya could manage it." They exchanged a grin before Miley dusted her hands off and held the nosebag out to Lilly. "Want to feed him?"

"Oh erm..." She eyed the horse apprehensively, she might not be terrified of him anymore but she still wasn't sure she wanted to get too close. "Nah, it's ok."

"Go on! He won't bite ya I promise. Don't be a wimp Lils." Miley shook the bag at Lilly who sighed before reaching her hand out.

"Fine, but if I leave here with less fingers than I came with you'll be sorry!" She shoved her hand into the bag and grabbed a handful of oats before stepping closer to Blue Jeans. He just lowered his head and nuzzled her arm. Lilly jumped and Miley laid a calming hand on her shoulder.

"Relax, just reach up slowly and give his nose a pat. Then hold ya hand out flat, don't stick ya fingers up or he might nip ya accidentally." She chuckled as Lilly gulped audibly and raised a shaking hand to his nose.

"Hey boy, who's a nice horsey?" Her hand slowly touched the velvety flesh of his nose and he brayed softly. "That's it, good horse. Here, look what Lilly's got for you... Oats, yeah. Be a good boy and don't eat Lilly's fingers ey?" Blue Jeans wasted no time lapping the oats from Lilly's hand with his big tongue. Lilly dusted her hands off and gave him another pat before turning to Miley triumphantly. "I did it! Ha! Not such a wimp after all."

"Way to go Lils, no I guess ya not. Here." She handed Lilly a packet of antibacterial wipes before shutting Blue Jeans' stable. Miley watched Lilly clean her hands and pointed to a black rubbish bin in the corner. Once she had disposed of the used wipes, Lilly followed Miley up the creaky wooden ladder into the hay loft.


	24. Chapter 24

A/N: I know, I'm awful at updating. Sorry about that. I'd just like to say that I know sod all about Thanksgiving so I apologise if I get things wrong.

Thank you all for your reviews, it's nice to know what you think. This chapter is for all of my reviewers and lita rocks LbC in particular because she keeps telling me to write this.

Enjoy =]

Disclaimer: Hannah Montana belongs to Disney, not me.

Fate

Lilly sighed contentedly as Miley's thumb rubbed circles on the back of her hand. They were both lying on their backs as they stared at the patterns in the wood of the barn roof, silently reflecting. Miley's thumb stopped moving as she rolled onto her side, the hay beneath her crackling, and fixed her eyes on Lilly. The blonde girl's eyes met hers questioningly.

"Hey." Miley's voice was soft, almost a whisper as she propped her head up on her elbow.

"Hey." Lilly mimicked her position, frowning slightly when the hay jabbed the sliver of exposed skin where her jacket had been tugged up.

"Sooo..."

"Sooo... did you mean what you said in the kitchen?" Her eyes were hopeful as she bit her lip nervously and Miley's heart throbbed.

"Yer. Did you?"

"Yeah of course I did. I just can't really believe it, that's all." Lilly picked at a long piece of hay, her fingers twirling it distractedly.

"I know. I never thought this would happen. God I wanted it to though." Miley chuckled quietly.

"For how long?" Lilly's question cut Miley's chuckle off and the southern girl paused before answering.

"Since we were fifteen."

"What?" Her eyes went wide. "But- but you were dating Jake!"

"Oh come on Lils, ya know that doesn't mean a thing." She tucked a piece of dark hair behind her ear nervously.

"True. I just... you always seemed so boy-crazy."

"I'm a better actress than ya give me credit for." They chuckled softly. "Anyway who really knows what they want at that age? Sweet nibblets, it took me hours to decide what to wear in the mornin'..."

"I guess you're right. You were even worse when we had a party to go to."

"Ha! Don't I know it." There was a moment of silence before Miley spoke up again. "So, how long for you?"

"I'm not sure." Lilly scrunched her nose up in concentration. "I think there's always been a part of me that wanted you a little more than I was aware. We were always so close, I guess it didn't seem odd."

"Our friendship always was a little weird."

"Exactly, it seemed natural. Still does." They smiled at each other and blushed as their eyes met. Lilly cleared her throat and began to twirl her piece of hay faster. "I always noticed you; it got a little erm- worse when we were seventeen. I blame your sudden fondness for miniskirts and stilettos. God your legs went on forever." Lilly winked at Miley as she blushed and swatted her arm. "What? I was just saying. Anyway, I still thought that was fine and went on with my life until I moved to university. It hit me then just how much I needed you around. I missed you like crazy, I used to play your voicemails back just so I could hear you."

"I don't know whether that's cute or creepy."

"A little of both." Lilly grinned. "Then well, we stopped talking and I still never really understood why I was so heartbroken until I saw you again."

"I'm sorry." Miley reached her hand out and took Lilly's tentatively. She squeezed it gently and her head shot up as Lilly squeezed back. "I should explain. I didn't deal with my feelings very well. By the time we were seventeen I could barely control myself, I wanted to tell ya so badly, but I couldn't. I couldn't get the words out. I know right? Me; stuck for words." They giggled and Lilly threaded their fingers together. "I tried to make ya notice me, that's where those short skirts came in, but that didn't work either. At least I didn't think it had. So by the time you had gone to university I decided I couldn't take it anymore. I was so in love with you but I couldn't have you. It tore me apart but I had to hurt you so you would stop hurtin' me. Selfish I know. I regretted it almost as soon as I'd done it but I just couldn't handle another goodbye." A silent tear slipped down Miley's cheek as she looked into Lilly's own sparkling eyes. "Can you forgive me?"

"I'd forgive you no matter what you do." Miley let out a sob as she launched herself at Lilly, forcing her onto her back. Lilly wrapped her in a tight hug as she mumbled into her neck. "Unless you eat my stash of jelly beans; that I can't forgive."

"I won't, I promise." Miley giggled against Lilly's shoulder as she stopped sobbing. She took a deep breath and pushed herself up on her elbows. Her face hovered inches from Lilly's for a moment before she brought their lips together gently.

"Miley! Lilly! Are ya in here?" Mamaw's voice came from below, just outside. They broke apart and Miley rolled her eyes as they heard the barn door being pulled open. "Miley?"

"Yer Mamaw we're up in the loft."

"Well get ya butts down here! Ya daddy and Lorelei are here." Miley pulled her face and mouthed along mockingly. "We're just about to put the parade on TV and Jackson just called in with Natalie. They're going to her parents for dinner but they wanted to say hi. I'll go tell them you're on your way."

"Ok Mrs S we're coming now." Lilly stifled a giggle at Miley's face and rolled them over. She pinned Miley down for a second while she gave her a quick kiss and stood up, pulling the southern girl with her. It took them a little while to navigate around the maze of hay barrels but they soon reached the ladder and Miley started down. She reached the bottom and turned to watch Lilly. The blonde felt eyes on her and peeked over her shoulder at Miley who was openly staring at her backside.

"Oi Stewart quit perving." She smirked at the guilty look on Miley's face.

"I wasn't! I was just makin' sure ya weren't goin' to slip..."

"What like this?" Lilly hopped off the rung and curled her feet around the ladder, sliding the last metre to the floor. She landed hard and sent a cloud of dust up around her feet. Miley had shrieked and darted forward, ready to catch her but Lilly needed no help. She giggled at Miley and pulled her into a hug. "My hero; ready to catch me ey?"

"Shut it Truscott." Miley growled around clenched teeth but soon melted into Lilly.

"We'd better go, they'll be wondering where we are." Lilly pulled Miley out of the door and towards the house.

They pulled off their jackets in the hall and hung them up before going through to the kitchen. It was now a hive of activity as Lorelei, Robby Ray, Jackson and Natalie stood around telling stories. Jackson was just finishing his as Miley and Lilly joined them.

"Well here they are! 'Bout time ya showed up, I was just telling Natalie and Lorelei about the time ya- why are you covered in hay?" A sly grin crept onto Jackson's face.

"What?" Miley looked down at her clothes, they weren't that bad.

"We were in the hay loft." Lilly checked her own outfit and brushed a single strand of hay from her jeans.

"There's hardly any hay on us." Miley frowned at Jackson before turning to Lilly. "Oh..."

"What? What is it?" Lilly looked down at herself again as Miley tried not to giggle.

"Bird's nest."

"Huh?"

"Come here." She tugged Lilly closer and started to pull they hay from her hair. She waved a piece in Lilly's face. "See?"

"Oh. Oops." She grinned and started to tidy Miley's hair. "Look, you have some too..."

"And here we have genuine monkey-girls in their natural habitat. See Miles, I told ya to wax that girl-stache." Jackson smirked but quickly grimaced as Miley's foot shot out and smacked him in the shin. "Owww! Dad did ya see that?"

"Ya asked for it Jerkson" Miley smoothed the last of Lilly's hair into place and turned to watch her brother rub his shin gingerly.

"Yeah, Miley doesn't even have a girl-stache so nerr." Lilly stuck her tongue out at him as she stood shoulder to shoulder with her friend.

"That's enough kids. Why don't ya'll sit down and watch the parade?" Robby Ray slung his arm around Lorelei's shoulder as they settled down on the couch next to Mamaw's armchair.

"Actually dad we'd better go. Natalie's parents are expectin' us." Jackson kissed Mamaw and Lorelei on the cheek before giving his dad a hug. "We'll see ya'll real soon."

"Have a lovely Thanksgiving everyone, bye folks." Natalie finished her goodbye's and headed to the door, giving Miley and Lilly a quick hug as she passed.

"Bye Lilly." Jackson gave her a hug and kissed her cheek before turning to his sister. "Love ya Monkey-girl."

"Love ya too Monkey-boy." She let him pull her into a hug and was startled when he whispered in her ear.

"A roll in the hay huh?" He grinned at the look of shock on her face. "Bye everyone!" He waved as he followed Natalie out the door and slammed it shut.

"Miles?" Lilly looked at Miley's shocked face in concern. "You ok?"

"Fine. Just wonderin' when Jackson got so observant." Miley smiled at Lilly's confused face but before the blonde could question her they were called into the living room.

By the time they sat down for dinner Lilly's stomach was growling loudly, much to Miley's amusement. Mamaw laid out dishes of steaming hot vegetables, gravy and placed a giant turkey in the centre of the table. Lilly's eyes nearly bugged out of her head at the sight of it. Once they were all sat down comfortably, Mamaw picked up a jam jar and a large pumpkin seed from beside her plate.

"Let us give thanks. I give thanks for the wonderful life I have here with my family." She kissed the seed before placing it in the jar and passing it to Lorelei who was sitting on her left.

"I give thanks for meetin' such a loving man." She looked at Robby Ray with affection. "I hope I'll be with him for many more Thanksgivings." She too, kissed the seed and dropped it in the jar.

"I give thanks for my children who may be a pain in the backside from time to time, but I wouldn't have them any other way." Robby Ray kissed his seed and then passed the jar to Miley.

"I give thanks for my family, the opportunities I have been fortunate enough to have and for Lilly. I'm so thankful to have you back in my life..." She squeezed Lilly's hand briefly before finishing and passing the jar on.

"I give thanks..." Lilly paused, unsure of what to say. She stared at the jar, examining its colourful design before gripping her seed and clearing her throat. "I give thanks for the Stewarts. They have shown me nothing but kindness since I was eleven and if not for them I don't think I would've ever known the true meaning of family." As she dropped her seed into the jar Miley grabbed her hand and squeezed it tightly. When Lilly looked at her she was startled to see a tear in Miley's eye. She wiped it away with the pad of her thumb and turned back to the others.

"You are a Stewart kiddo, maybe not in name but you are where it counts." Robby Ray smiled softly at the blonde girl who suddenly found it very hard to stay composed.

"Amen to that. Now come on sweetpea, why don't ya pass that stuffin' around?" Mamaw patted Lilly's arm gently and gestured to the tureen in front of her.

Lilly grinned and handed it to Miley who scooped some onto her plate. "What stuffin' is this Mamaw?"

"Sage and onion. Lilly here did a swell job dicing that onion."

"I did?" Lilly beamed.


End file.
